England playing XI for first Test against Pakistan announced, Ben Stokes ruled out

England National Cricket Team have suffered a massive blow ahead of the first Test against the Pakistan National Cricket Team. Skipper Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the series opener between the teams, which will be played from 7th October at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan.

Ben Stokes, on Saturday (5th October) himself, confirmed that he won't be playing the first game of the three-match series against Pakistan. The all-rounder mentioned that he is yet to attain full fitness after he suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024.

Ben Stokes, after that injury, missed the entire three-match Test series against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team, and it was expected that he would be fit for the Pakistan series. The all-rounder has been training pretty well for the team but is likely to take a cautious approach with a few important Tests around the corner.

Ahead of the first Test against Pakistan National Cricket Team, Ben Stokes was seen grinding hard in the nets. The all-rounder was seen doing shuttle runs with strength and conditioning coach Peter Sim for the first 45 minutes of England's training session.

After that, Stokes batted in the nets comfortably. He was seen facing spin from Rehan Ahmed and local net-bowlers as well as throwdowns from England's coaching staff. However, he is making sure that he doesn't rush himself and injure himself.

I've pushed myself incredibly hard - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, while talking about his recovery, said that he will be working hard to be fit for the next game. He explained (as quoted by ESPNCricinfo):

"I've pushed myself incredibly hard. I've worked hard with the medical team to get to where I'm at now. I think I'm further ahead than what we expected today. Look, I'll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try and give myself a chance to be fit.

"Whatever sports you play, you're going to get injuries. I'm 33 now, so I've put my body through quite a lot. I've started working incredibly hard over the last two years: I know that I'm getting older, so it's not through lack of effort. It's just one of those things where, with what we do, you're going to put yourself at risk every time you walk out on the field for injuries."

Chris Woakes to play in absence of Ben Stokes in the first PAK vs ENG 1st Test

With Ben Stokes getting ruled out of the first Pakistan vs England Test, Chris Woakes will be playing his first overseas Test in two-and-a-half years and his first in Asia since 2016. The all-rounder has been playing just home Tests and would be keen to make an impact in the upcoming game.

Apart from that, Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut as England announced their playing XI for the first Test. Jack Leach, who played the last game against India, also has been included in the team. Zak Crawley, who missed the Sri Lanka series, also has been named in the team, which will be captained by Ollie Pope in the absence of Ben Stokes.

England playing XI for first Test against Pakistan:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse (Debut), Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir