Why has Ben Stokes been ruled out of England vs Sri Lanka Test series? When will he return to action?

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England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka after suffering a left hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundreds.

The 33-year-old Stokes pulled up while running between the wickets during Northern Superchargers' 153-run chase against Manchester Originals at Old Trafford.

The star all-rounder appeared to clutch his left hamstring as he was completing a quick single from the non-striker's end after coming on to open the innings. Stokes previously bowled 15 balls in the match and was forced to get retired hurt for 2.

"England Men's Test Captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out for the rest of the summer after tearing his left hamstring while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday," ECB said on Tuesday, August 13.

"As a result of the scans conducted in Leeds on Tuesday, Stokes will miss England's three-match Rothesay Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday, 21 August. There will be no addition to the squad for this series," it added.

When Will Ben Stokes return back to action?

Vice-captain Ollie Pope will now lead the England team in three Tests. England will next host Australia for eight white-ball matches in Australia. However, Stokes is slated to make his comeback from injury against Pakistan.

The Three Lions are scheduled to travel to Pakistan for a 3-match Test series starting October 7 in Multan. The second Test will be played from October 15 in Karachi, and the third in Rawalpindi from October 24.

England squad for Test series vs Sri Lanka: Ollie Pope (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood