England captain Ben Stokes left his team and fans concerned as he experienced discomfort in his right groin in the last session of Day 1 of Lord's Test. After the day's play, the vice-captain Ollie Pope did not have further information about Stokes' extent of injury but he hopes that the all-rounder recovers overnight. He talked about managing the pace-bowling all-rounder's workload.
"Fingers crossed he can do something magic and come back strong," Pope said in the press conference. "I've not seen him since, so fingers crossed there's nothing too serious. But clearly we've got a big Test over the next four days and we've got a big two [at Old Trafford and The Oval] coming up as well, so it is important to try and manage him."
Pope is concerned about Stokes pushing himself too hard, which is almost instinctive for the England captain. He wants to ensure it does not happen.
"We'll see how he pulls up tomorrow, but for me, that is partially one of my roles, to make sure that he doesn't push himself to a ridiculous place with whatever he's dealing with at the moment. I'm sure the physios, the medics will work with him to lay out a plan and then I'll help push him in the right direction," said the top-order batter.
Stokes' struggle with injuries
Stokes has had his share with injuries. In 2023, he had a knee surgery. Then, he had a couple of hamstring surgeries. He claimed five wickets in the Headingley Test, including a four-fer in the first innings. His bowling is crucial over the next four days in the Lord's Test, considering how England bowlers struggled at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
No Bazball on Day 1
On Day 1, England played opposite to its Bazball approach. Walking in to bat in the second session, Stokes returned unbeaten on 39 off 102 balls. He shared an unbeaten 79-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Joe Root who was not out for 99 on Day 1. He had a reprieve when the umpire's call went his way.
Stokes due for a big one
The England batter is yet to make an impact with the bat. In the Headingley Test, he registered scores of 20 and 33. In the second Test, he got out for a duck in the first innings and followed it up with a 33-run knock.