England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan after failing to recover from a hamstring injury.
The all-rounder has not featured since sustaining the injury in August while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, and missed his side’s series victory over Sri Lanka as a result.
It had been hoped that Stokes would return to fitness in time to play in Multan, where the opening Test of the three-match series begins on Monday, but the 33-year-old has confirmed he is not yet ready.
Ollie Pope will deputise as captain for England, as he did against Sri Lanka.
“I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this game, but have taken the call to miss this one because I’ve not quite managed to get game-ready,” Stokes told BBC Sport.
“There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We got to a certain point, but looking at the picture of what we’ve got coming up and physically where I’m at, I’m not quite ready to play.
“It’s always frustrating to miss out. I’ve got some good things to focus on, so even though I’m not playing I’ve got a goal in mind.”
The second Test of the series, which will also be played in Multan, begins on October 15, and Stokes admitted he is “not sure” whether another ten days will be enough time.
“I’ve pushed myself incredibly hard and worked really hard with the medical team to get to where I’m at now,” he said.
“I think I’m further ahead than what we expected. I’ll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try to get myself fit for the second Test.”
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