Ben Stokes ruled out of Oval Test? England captain says, “Likelihood that I won’t play…”

England National Cricket Team skipper Ben Stokes has provided a colossal update on his availability for the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.

Ben Stokes said that he is highly likely to participate in the fifth Test against the India National Cricket Team, which will start on July 31, at the Kennington Oval in London.

Also Read: Zak Crawley caught cheating red-handed! Umpire issues big warning in Manchester Test

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Ben Stokes delivers a performance for the ages

England skipper delivered a performance for the ages in the fourth Test match against India at Old Trafford in Manchester and was awarded Player of the Match for his heroics.

First, with the ball, he bagged a sensational 5-wicket haul to bowl India out for 358. He bowled 24 overs and conceded 72 runs while dismissing Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, and Anshul Kamboj.

Then, he showcased a batting masterclass and slammed a century in Test cricket after a long time. Stokes retired hurt while batting on Friday but returned to the crease and eventually finished with 141 runs off 198 balls.

Ben Stokes was clearly not fully fit in the Manchester Test, and he didn't bowl on Saturday, but on Sunday, he bowled 11 overs, with eight on the trot, despite feeling pain and repeatedly clutched his right shoulder. Despite facing issues, Ben Stokes gave hope to his team for a win by dismissing KL Rahul on Day 5, but the match eventually ended in a draw.

Speaking at the press conference after the match, Stokes acknowledged that he has had a "pretty big workload" in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He said:

"It's been a pretty big workload so far in the series. I had a big week last week at Lord's, with time spent out in the middle with bat in hand and obviously overs bowled, and then the same again this week. I said it a few times to the guys out there: 'pain is just an emotion.' It's just one of those things."

It is actually my bicep tendon - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes revealed that he had some issues in his bicep tendon, but it didn't aggravate by staying in the middle. He said:

"It is actually my bicep tendon. It obviously had quite a lot of workload through it, just been creeping around. But yeah, [I spent] a lot of time out in the middle doing my job as an allrounder this week and [it] just got a little bit flared up… It didn't get any worse throughout the day, just stayed the same, so that's why I kept on going."

Stokes was also hopeful of his issues settling down with the short turnaround for the series finale. He said:

"Hopefully, it settles down and we'll be good as gold for the last game… I don't want to eat my words, but the likelihood that I won't play is very unlikely."

We might have to make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes further said that several England players are "pretty sore" and will be tired heading into the Oval Test; hence, they might have to introduce "fresh legs" for the game. He elaborated:

"If you look at how long we've been out in the field and the overs that we bowled as a bowling unit, everyone is going to be pretty sore and pretty tired going into the last game of the series. There'll be an assessment of everyone, and hopefully we can use these next two or three days' rest period wisely and then have to make a decision.

"These recovery days are going to be pretty important and we might have to make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in. But that won't be decided until we get closer to the last game."