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England captain Ben Stokes said on Saturday he would miss the first Test against Pakistan starting next week after failing to recover from a hamstring injury.
Stokes, 33, has been out since early August with a torn hamstring suffered during the Hundred, missing his side’s 2-1 home Test series win over Sri Lanka last month.
Top-order batter Ollie Pope, who led the side against Sri Lanka, will replace again for the first of three matches which begin on Monday in the central city of Multan.
“I did my best to prepare for this match,” Stokes told reporters. “But I accepted to miss this one because I haven’t managed to prepare for the match yet.”
All-rounder Stokes was at team training on Friday and Saturday, hitting the nets and bowling a few deliveries with a short start.
But the skipper said he was “not sure” whether he would take part in the second Test, also in Multan and scheduled for October 15.
“I made an incredible effort and worked very hard with the medical team to get to where I am now,” he said.
“I think I’m further ahead than we expected. I’m going to work just as hard over the next ten days to try and prepare for the second Test.”
Late last month, the England and Wales Cricket Board said Stokes was “on track” to play against Pakistan.
“There’s a lot to put into my rehabilitation program,” he said. “It’s always frustrating to miss something.”
With Stokes out, England announced their eleven for the first Test, giving bowler Brydon Carse his debut in the longer format.
The tourists will go into the Test with three pacers in Carse, Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes, alongside the spin duo of Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir.
Opener Zak Crawley also returns to the team after missing the Sri Lanka series due to a broken finger.
England XI: Ollie Pope (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes
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