The ECB issued a statement on Sunday afternoon
Ben Stokes will miss the remainder of England’s Test series against Pakistan after withdrawing for family reasons, the ECB have announced.
A statement on the ECB’s website read: “England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss the remainder of the #raisethebat Test series against Pakistan for family reasons.
Stokes will leave the UK later this week and travel to New Zealand. He will miss England’s two Test matches against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl starting on Thursday 13 August and Friday 21 August.
The England and Wales Cricket Board, along with the Stokes family, requests that all media respects the family’s privacy at this time.”
It’s likely that Zack Crawley will come back into the team to bat at three, with captain Joe Root returning to his preferred position of four. Wicket-keeper batsman Ben Foakes is also in the bio-secure bubble, as well as James Bracey and Daniel Lawrence.
