Daily Times

LONDON: Talismanic England all-rounder Ben Stokes and paceman Chris Woakes will miss the remainder of the ODI series with Australia the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Monday. Stokes’ hamstring injury – which he suffered in the lead-up to the second Test with Pakistan – the ECB says is progressing well and are hopeful the 27-year-old will be fit for the T20 series with India next month. England lead the five game series with Australia 2-0 with three matches remaining.

“He can bat fully and is now able to run at 90 per cent capacity,” read a statement from the ECB. “He will commence his return to bowling programme this week. The plan is for Ben to continue his rehabilitation programme with the England squad during the fourth and fifth ODIs (against Australia on Thursday and Sunday) at Riverside and Old Trafford.” Woakes, 29, injured a thigh muscle during the second Test with Pakistan at the beginning of June which the ECB say “was at least in part due to a flare-up of a chronic right knee problem”.

Aside from missing the ODI series with Australia he’ll also miss the lone Twenty20 international against Australia at Edgbaston, on June 27 and the three T20s at home to India in July. “He (Woakes) has had an injection for the knee issue last Monday and will now undertake a rehabilitation and conditioning programme to address both injuries,” read the ECB statement. “A date for return cannot be specified at this stage, but he will not be available before the India ODI series.” The three-match one-day series against India starts at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 12.

Published in Daily Times, June 19^th 2018.