Captain Joe Root will be wary of Ben Stokes’ willingness to “put his body on the line” as he makes a late decision on England’s team for the first Test against Pakistan.
Stokes has been recovering from the quad injury which saw him play as a specialist batsman in the final match of the West Indies series, but has yet to provide definitive proof he can take on his usual workload with ball in hand.
Should England be satisfied he is back to full health, then batsman Zak Crawley will return after making way for an extra bowler last time out, but if doubts persist then the status quo will persist.
“We feel around the world that gives us a lot better chance of taking 20 wickets consistently. It’s very exciting when you see guys like Woody and Jof bowling 90mph and you can fit that in with guys like Jimmy, Stuart, Sam Curran, Woakesy. They’re different skills and complement each other really well.”
England will be looking to shed their reputation as slow starters, having lost the first game of their last five multi-match series. Root admitted there would be no excuse for a lethargic outing on this occasion, with Pakistan on their first Test assignment since February.
“It will give us a bit of a headstart,” he said.
“It is something we want to get right this week. It always feels like hard work when you are behind in the series and we want to make sure we start well this time around.”
