India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team: England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval due to a muscle tear in his right shoulder. The 34-year-old all-rounder provided an update on his injury on Wednesday. "I am obviously disappointed. I have got a decent tear in one of the muscles I can't pronounce. We took as long as we could to make the decision around that. Obviously, there is a bit of emotion that goes into this stuff when you find out what you have done. I came down here this morning to give myself every chance to play just as a batter," Stokes said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
The England skipper said he had discussions with the medical team and coach Brendon McCullum before making the final call. He said the damage was serious and that taking the field could have made it worse. "I think you need that time chatting with the medical team, Baz (McCullum), then 20 minutes with myself to really be clear around the decision that we made. It is one of those of weighing up the risk and reward and the risk was way too high for the damage. I wouldn't expect to put any of my players at risk with an injury like this so I will start rehabbing now and focus on what we have got coming up in the winter," he said.
Jacob Bethell is likely to bat at number six in the final Test. He began his Test career batting at number three against New Zealand in 2024.
Stokes praised Bethell for his calm approach and flexibility.
"He handled the pressure when he got the number three role in New Zealand. He plays all three formats and that makes him more flexible about where he bats. We are confident in him and the team we have got this week," Stokes said.
Bethell returns to the Test side for the first time since December 2024. The final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy starts Thursday at The Oval.
Here is England’s playing eleven for the fifth Test:
- Zak Crawley
- Ben Duckett
- Ollie Pope (captain)
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Jacob Bethell
- Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper)
- Chris Woakes
- Gus Atkinson
- Jamie Overton
- Josh Tongue
