ENG vs SL: England Skipper Ben Stokes Likely To Miss Sri Lanka Test Series Opener Due To Injury

England could be without their skipper Ben Stokes for the upcoming three-match home Test series against Sri Lanka after the all-rounder suffered a suspected hamstring injury during The Hundred tournament last week.

Stokes pulled up sore and was forced to leave the field after attempting a quick single when turning up for the Northern Superchargers against the Manchester Originals in The Hundred competition at Old Trafford on Sunday (August 11).

The England Test skipper was later seen using crutches as he returned to the team dugout to watch the Superchargers record a narrow seven-wicket victory over their fellow northern rivals.

Stokes is set to have scans on the affected area on Monday (August 12) to confirm the extent of the injury. A hamstring usually takes a few days to 6 weeks to recover depending on the extent of the injury.

But his teammate Harry Brook has hinted the 33-year-old all-rounder is doubtful for the opening Test against Sri Lanka that commences in Manchester on August 21.

"It doesn't look great unfortunately but I think he'll be getting a scan tomorrow and see how he is," Brook, who scored 43 off 26 balls in the Superchargers win, told Sky Sports as quoted by ICC.

If ruled out of the first Test against Sri Lanka, Stokes' deputy Ollie Pope will lead England, who will be targeting the series on home soil to collect more points in their quest to qualify for next year's ICC World Test Championship final.

England recently recorded a 3-0 series sweep of the West Indies to move up to sixth place on the World Test Championship standings and will be keen to keep that momentum going against Sri Lanka.

England also lost opener Zak Crawley and Dillon Pennington to injuries. Dan Lawrence and Olly Stone were named as their replacements, while uncapped Jordan Cox was added to the squad as a spare batter.

England Test Squad to face Sri Lanka

Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.