England captain Ben Stokes knows it would have been a major risk for him to play in the fifth and final Test against India, having been ruled out with a shoulder injury.
England captain Ben Stokes knows it would have been a major risk for him to play in the fifth and final Test against India, having been ruled out with a shoulder injury.
England are looking to secure their first series win over India since 2018 when the fifth Test begins at The Oval on Thursday.
They were on the brink of a series triumph in the fourth Test, but India remarkably batted out their second innings from 0-2 to force a draw, keeping England's lead at 2-1.
They will have to finish the job without their captain, who bowled 140 overs throughout the first four matches – his most in any series.
Stokes was visibly struggling with his right shoulder while bowling on the final day of the most recent Test at Old Trafford, and he would not expect any player to play through an injury like his.
"It is one of those of weighing up the risk-reward, and the risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is," Stokes said after England's team announcement on Wednesday.
"I wouldn't expect to put any of my players at risk with an injury like this.
"Once this series is done, I was feet up anyway, it doesn't really make too much difference to what I've got from the end of the series up until the winter."
Ollie Pope will captain England in Stokes' absence, while Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton have been called up.
Jofra Archer also misses out, with England keen to manage his workload after the paceman spent four years out of the red-ball setup due to back and elbow injuries.
The hosts will go with four seamers, with Archer's fellow quick Brydon Carse also making way, and Stokes is confident that is the correct approach.
"The way The Oval generally plays, the seamers are the ones who take your wickets," Stokes said.
"We felt we had to have four seamers, because that's giving yourself the best chance to win the game before a ball's been bowled.
"This [wicket] looks like it has a lot more live grass than the other wickets we've played on, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot more assistance there for the seamers."
India are yet to name their team for the fifth Test but are expected to rest Jasprit Bumrah as they continue to manage his workload.
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