Ben Stokes will MISS the rest of England’s Test series against Pakistan for family reasons as he gets ready to fly to his parents’ home in New Zealand
- Ben Stokes will play no part in the second and third Tests against Pakistan
- The England star will leave the UK later this week and travel to New Zealand
- The ECB confirmed that the 29-year-old will miss the series for ‘family reasons’
- Stokes’ father, Ged, was seriously ill during the recent tour of South Africa
England suffered a serious blow on Sunday after their dramatic victory over Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford when their ‘Mr Incredible’ Ben Stokes was ruled out of the rest of the Test summer for family reasons.
Stokes will this week fly to New Zealand to be with his parents Ged and Deborah in Christchurch and will miss at least the last two Tests at the Ageas Bowl.
It remains unclear whether he will be able to return ahead of white-ball games against Pakistan and Australia.
England’s Ben Stokes will miss the rest of the Test series against Pakistan for family reasons
Stokes has played in all four Tests so far this summer but will not finish the Pakistan series
Stokes posted this photo in the winter of his father Ged, alongside his mum Deb in South Africa
Ged Stokes was taken ill in Johannesburg over Christmas where he had travelled to watch his son play in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion on Boxing Day but after treatment in hospital he was able to return to his native New Zealand where he has been recovering.
Only last month Ged, a former rugby league player and coach, talked in an exclusive interview with Sportsmail of his immense pride when Stokes was named captain of England for the first Test against West Indies, with Joe Root on paternity leave.
‘The England and Wales Cricket Board, along with the Stokes family, requests that all media respects the family’s privacy at this time,’ said an ECB statement.
Stokes was in action as recently as Saturday, as he played on the final day of the first Test
It is a huge setback for England with Stokes again demonstrating that he is arguably the best player in world cricket right now when he dominated the second Test against West Indies before suffering a thigh injury that has since reduced his impact on the Test summer.
He made a big hundred and half century in that second Test at Old Trafford and has taken 11 wickets this summer even though he has played largely as a specialist batsman since his quadriceps injury.
Now England must find a way of coping without Stokes in the remaining two Tests of the summer after taking a thrilling 1-0 lead thanks to a match-winning partnership of 139 for the sixth wicket between Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler on Saturday.
Stokes repeatedly celebrated with this hand gesture in South Africa in reference to his father
It was revealed after Saturday’s three-wicket victory that Buttler’s father John had been taken to hospital on Friday but thankfully he returned home on Sunday.
Zak Crawley is the firm favourite to come back in for Stokes and bat at three at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday, with Root returning to his favoured role of four. But England will also consider a debut for exciting Essex batsman Dan Lawrence to bolster the batting.
England have also called up Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson to their bio-secure bubble in Southampton and he will also be in contention for a debut against Pakistan, possibly at the expense of record-breaking wicket-taker Jimmy Anderson.