Ben Stokes says he expects to lead England in the final Test against India this week, even as he battles through pain in his right shoulder. But after nearly 900 overs in the field, he also signaled that changes to the bowling lineup are likely.
Stokes was clearly struggling on Sunday, wincing his way through 11 overs and frequently grabbing at his shoulder. The problem, as he later revealed, was an inflamed biceps tendon. Incredibly, the pain didn’t stop him from staying in the attack.
“It’s actually my bicep tendon,” Stokes said after the fourth Test ended in a draw. “It didn’t get worse through the day. It just stayed the same, so that’s why I kept going.”
He bowled 140 overs in the series so far, more than in any previous series of his career. That number, combined with his efforts with the bat — including a gritty century after briefly retiring hurt in the first innings — has tested his body.
“I had a big week at Lord’s and the same again this week,” he said. “I told the guys out there a few times, ‘pain is just an emotion.’”
Asked directly if he would play in the final Test at The Oval on Thursday, Stokes replied: “Hopefully it settles down. I don’t want to eat my words, but the likelihood I won’t play is very unlikely.”
Even though he feels ready to go himself, Stokes admitted the punishing schedule is wearing his team down. You only need to look at Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes, who have been on the field for all four matches, to see what he means.
Jofra Archer has returned from a long injury layoff to feature in two. England have Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue waiting in the wings.
The team is exhausted, and Stokes didn’t mince words about it. “If you look at how long we’ve been out in the field… everyone’s going to be pretty sore,” he said, explaining that tough decisions are likely. “These recovery days are going to be pretty important, and we might have to… get some fresh legs in.”
It sounds like we’ll be waiting a while for the final team news. Stokes is thinking about delaying the announcement so the guys can get a bit more rest.
Even though he was named Player of the Match again for his incredible all-around game, Stokes was quick to point out that’s not what really counts.
As he put it on the BBC’s Test Match Special, “I’d give the bottle of champagne and the medal back in a heartbeat if we’d ended up with the result we wanted.”
The Manchester pitch, which produced just 24 wickets across five days, came under some criticism. Stokes declined to join in.
“I think ‘unacceptable’ is probably a bit too much,” he said. “It was easier for the left-handers throughout this Test… It just seemed a little more dead bowling to left-handers than right-handers.”
The series remains alive heading into the final Test, with England leading 2-1. The Oval hosts the decider starting Thursday.
