England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against India, owing to a right shoulder injury. Ollie Pope will step in as the skipper in The Oval Test, which will get underway on Thursday.This is a massive blow for England as the in-form star Ben Stokes was the Player of the Match in both the third and fourth Tests for his all-around performance.
So far, Ben Stokes scored 304 runs in the four Tests, comprising a century in Manchester, and picked up 17 wickets, the most by any bowler in the contest, at 25.24, with one five-wicket haul. During the fourth Test, Ben Stokes was forced to bowl lengthy spells after India batted for 143 overs across five sessions to pull off a draw. Ben Stokes bowled a total of 35 overs across the two innings and was seen clutching his shoulder during the spell.
England reveal playing XI for 5th Test without Ben Stokes
England, who announced their playing XI for the series finale, have made three other changes to the bowling line-up, with quicks Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse also missing out, alongside spinner Liam Dawson.
Jofra Archer has featured in just two matches in the series against India, having rejoined the squad ahead of the Lord’s Test. He claimed nine wickets across four innings at an average of 28.66 and played a key role in England’s 22-run victory in the third Test. Brydon Carse, meanwhile, has played all four Tests so far, also picking up nine wickets but at a higher average of 60.88. Dawson made only one appearance — the Manchester Test — which marked his first outing in the format since 2017. He took a solitary wicket in the fourth Test.
England have included Jacob Bethell, who will bat at No.6. Surrey bowlers Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton come into the side, along with Nottinghamshire quick Josh Tongue. Following the team selection, Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar believed that without Ben Stokes England bowling attack will be lacking venom and act as a toothless tiger on the field in the 5th Test at Oval.
“England bowling lacks zip without Ben Stokes” claims Sanjay Bangar
Former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar believes England’s bowling attack would lack teeth if Ben Stokes isn’t able to bowl in the fifth Test match against India. Ben Stokes suffered a hamstring strain while batting on the third day’s play at Old Trafford, Manchester.
The England captain Ben Stokes then didn’t bowl on the fourth day’s play when the home team bowled a total of 63 overs. On the final day’s play, Stokes bowled 11 overs despite experiencing shoulder pain. Ben Stokes has been the pick of the England bowlers in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar series as he has scalped 17 wickets in four Test matches at an average of 25.24 and he is the highest wicket-taker of the series.
“It all depends on whether Ben Stokes is available to bowl or not. He did bowl in a limited or restrained manner in the last Test match. I think without him, this attack lacks that zip. That is amply proven by the fact that he is still their highest wicket-taker,” Sanjay Bangar said on Star Sports show Game Plan
Sanjay Bangar highlighted that England’s fast bowler Jofra Archer hasn’t looked threatening while bowling to right-handers.
“If he is not bowling, the Indian team has a great chance because none of the other bowlers have looked that effective. Yes, there is a threat of Jofra Archer, but once the right-handers come, he looks a totally different bowler than when he is bowling to the left-handers,” Bangar observed.
Sanjay Bangar noted that Chris Woakes hasn’t been hurrying the Indian batters in the ongoing series.
“Chris Woakes hasn’t been hurrying the batters. Even though swing has been missing, he is not even hurrying the batters. I think that is going to take a toll. The very fact that Carse has also played all the four Test matches and potentially the fifth one as well, he looked a little bit jaded in the first innings of the Manchester Test. Those are encouraging signs,” he said.
“From a distance, you think that if Stokes is not bowling, you might pile up a huge score and dismiss the fragile English batting when it comes under pressure. If you compare what India did at Manchester to what England were asked to do at Edgbaston, where they just had to bat four sessions, I think they crumbled,” Sanjay Bangar observed.
Heading into the finale, England lead the series 2-1. They won the opener in Leeds by five wickets and clinched a thriller at Lord’s. Their only defeat came in the second Test in Birmingham, where India, led by captain Shubman Gill, delivered a dominant 336-run victory. India, however, do not boast a strong record at The Oval. In 15 appearances at the venue, they have secured just two wins — the first in 1971 under Ajit Wadekar’s captaincy, and the second 50 years later in 2021, under Virat Kohli.
The fifth and final Test match between England and India will be played at the Kennington Oval, London, from 31st July onwards.
England XI for fifth Test v India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.
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