Will Bazball still work without Ben Stokes as England captain? Alongside Brendon McCullum, Stokes has led a transformation of England’s Test fortunes, from a dismal defeat against the West Indies to series victories over Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, and a draw against Australia.
But for the first time since Stokes took up the mantle, England are facing the prospect of an entire series, without their captain after he was ruled out of the remainder of the summer with a hamstring injury.
England had wrapped up a series victory against New Zealand when the national squad were released to their Hundred sides; while batting for the Northern Superchargers, Stokes sustained the injury.
He had bowled 15 balls in the first innings but while running a single, he pulled up, threw his glove off in pain and had to be helped from the field by two members of the backroom staff.
Since the start of the Hundred in 2021, it has been a divisive tournament. Counties without teams have often felt aggrieved to be left out, while grateful for the money provided, and fans of the domestic game have felt alienated by it, and indifferent to the new teams.
Stokes’s injury is unlikely to sway the opinions of those who oppose the tournament and view it as a further demand on the players with an ever-increasing calendar of matches.
It seems unlikely he will be fit enough to face Sri Lanka in just 10 days, and Ollie Pope is likely to be promoted to lead the team for the first time, having been nominated as the official vice-captain.
Pope has said before that he would lead in the same vein as Stokes but whether that happens in reality remains to be seen. They are different characters, for one thing, and the batter has only captained one first-class game before, for Surrey against Glamorgan in September 2021.
Stokes only recently returned to fitness after years of being affected by a left knee issue which required surgery in November 2023, fighting hard to be fit enough for the tour of India last winter, and returning as a full all-rounder this summer.
He has never missed a game since becoming captain, one of just three players to do so. Of that trio, Zak Crawley has also been ruled out of the Sri Lanka series with a finger injury.
England’s squad had just started to regain some balance with Stokes playing the full all-rounder role, and replacing him in the playing side will be no straightforward task. Either way, the bowling or the batting would take a substantial hit.
There are two main choices facing the England leadership group in the absence of Stokes. Do they promote Chris Woakes up to number seven and select Matthew Potts or Olly Stone as an extra bowling option? Or, do they opt to bolster the batting and hand Jordan Cox an early debut, which might leave them short with just three seamers and a spinner?
Should they choose to hand Cox his maiden Test cap, Shoaib Bashir could make way for an additional fast-bowling option, with Dan Lawrence and Joe Root already chosen and able to form some semblance of a spin attack.
Either way, it will be a different England without Stokes. He has been the one to employ the plans, be daring and unorthodox with the fielding positions and lead the attacking mindset from the front. It remains to be seen if Pope will be able to captain in the same mould.
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