Ben Stokes ruled out of 5th Test against India at Oval; England make 4 changes in their Playing XI for series decider
This is a massive blow for England as the in-form star was the Player of the Match in both the third and fourth Tests for his all-around performance. So far, he scored 304 runs in the four Tests, comprising a century in Manchester, and picked up 17 wickets, the most by any bowler in the contest, at 25.24, with one five-wicket haul.
During the fourth Test, Stokes was forced to bowl lengthy spells after India batted for 143 overs across five sessions to pull off a draw. He bowled a total of 35 overs across the two innings and was seen clutching his shoulder during the spell.
"I've got a decent tear of one of the muscles that I can't pronounce," Stokes told reporters on Wednesday. "Obviously we took as long as we could to make that decision. Obviously a bit of emotion going into this kind of stuff when you find out what you've done.
"It's one of those where it was weighing up the risk reward, and the risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is. I wouldn't expect to put any of my other players at risk with an injury like this."
England reveal playing XI for 5th Test
England, who announced their playing XI for the series finale, have made three other changes to the bowling line-up, with quicks Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse also missing out, alongside spinner Liam Dawson. England have included Jacob Bethell, who will bat at No.6. Surrey bowlers Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton come into the side, along with Nottinghamshire quick Josh Tongue.
England XI for fifth Test v India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.
Heading into the finale, England lead the series 2-1. They won the opener in Leeds by five wickets and clinched a thriller at Lord's. Their only defeat came in the second Test in Birmingham, where India, led by captain Shubman Gill, delivered a dominant 336-run victory.
India, however, do not boast a strong record at The Oval. In 15 appearances at the venue, they have secured just two wins — the first in 1971 under Ajit Wadekar's captaincy, and the second 50 years later in 2021, under Virat Kohli.
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