Pope to Captain England as Stokes Ruled Out of Fifth Test at The Oval

Pope to Captain England as Stokes Ruled Out of Fifth Test at The Oval

England will be without captain Ben Stokes for the decisive fifth Test against India at The Oval, with Ollie Pope set to lead the side in his absence. Stokes has been ruled out after suffering a grade-three tear in a shoulder muscle and will require at least six weeks of recovery.

Stokes sustained the injury during the drawn fourth Test in Manchester, where he bowled 11 painful overs on the final day and was seen repeatedly clutching his shoulder. Though initially hopeful of playing as a specialist batter, he opted out after consultations with head coach Brendon McCullum and the medical team. “The risk was way too high for damaging this any further,” said Stokes. “It’s obviously very, very disappointing.”

Ollie Pope will captain the side for the fifth time in his Test career and on his home ground, The Oval. England have made four changes to the side that played in Manchester, bringing in Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse have been rested due to recent workloads, while Liam Dawson has been dropped.

Chris Woakes, the most experienced seamer in the squad, will lead a relatively raw pace attack, with Atkinson, Overton, and Tongue sharing just 18 Test caps between them. Atkinson returns after a hamstring injury, Overton earns a recall after three years, and Tongue slots back in after missing the last two Tests.

Stokes, the series' leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps and fresh off a return to century form in Manchester, described the decision to sit out as painful but necessary. “I’ll always try to push myself as much as I possibly can. There’s absolutely nothing I could have done differently,” he said.

England had already intended to go into the final Test without a frontline spinner. Despite bowling economically, Dawson failed to take a wicket in Manchester and was left out in favour of an all-seam attack. With a grassy pitch expected to favour seamers, spin duties will fall to part-timers Joe Root and Bethell.

Young all-rounder Jacob Bethell will bat at No. 6, offering flexibility after proving his credentials in New Zealand last year with three half-centuries at No. 3. “He’s a quality player,” said Stokes. “I’m very confident in his ability.”

Despite being sidelined, Stokes will remain with the team, echoing his presence during a similar absence last year when he missed four Tests. Pope, who previously struggled to balance leadership and batting, will take cues from India's Shubman Gill as he prepares to lead England in a must-win contest.

“The series is still on the line,” Stokes added. “It’s been toe-to-toe throughout. We know India will come out fighting. The next best thing for them is a draw, and we’ll be doing everything we can to stop that from happening.”

England XI for Fifth Test at The Oval:

  1. Zak Crawley

  2. Ben Duckett

  3. Ollie Pope (capt)

  4. Joe Root

  5. Harry Brook

  6. Jacob Bethell

  7. Jamie Smith (wk)

  8. Chris Woakes

  9. Gus Atkinson

  10. Jamie Overton

  11. Josh Tongue

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