Ben Stokes racing against time to be first for Pakistan vs England second Test match

Hyderabad: England cricket team’s regular captain Ben Stokes might be fit in time for England’s second Test match against Pakistan.

The second Pakistan vs England Test match starts on October 15 in Multan.

Stokes, one of the greatest all-rounders of the sport, did not take part in the first Test against Pakistan in which England won by an innings and 47 runs, shattering many batting records, due to a hamstring injury.

However, stand-in skipper Ollie Pope hoped that England’s regular captain would come back into the side for the next Test match.

Although Pope said he isn’t 100% sure of Stokes getting back, he said the captain was looking in great shape. “I’m actually not 100%. He’s been training really well this week. He’s as keen as ever to get playing again, so fingers crossed he’s all good,” Pope told Sky Sports after England’s big win over Pakistan.

Stokes led England to a 3-0 series win over West Indies in July this year but missed Sri Lanka’s tour of England in the subsequent months as he was out injured. England beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in the three-Test match series, with Ollie Pope leading the team in Stokes’ absence.

After England landed in Pakistan for the first Test match, Stokes had said that he wasn’t game-ready indicating that he could be fit for the second Test. “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 ahead of the first Test match earlier this week.

He added that he had pushed himself, along with his medical team, and hoped to be fit in time for the second Test. “I’ve pushed myself incredibly hard and worked really hard with the medical team to get to where I’m at now. 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,” Stokes added.

The second Test starts in Multan on October 15 while the third Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24.