S Poddar
England Test captain Stokes likely to miss Monday’s game at Multan
His elevation as county captain and extended absence from training put his availability into question
Crawley returns as opening batsman after missing Sri Lanka series
Zak Crawley stated that he is fit and ready for the game, promising to make up for missing the latter half of the Test summer that England endured with a broken finger. Yet, doubt has started creeping in over Ben Stokes whose recovery from a torn hamstring still can’t be confirmed, such was the brevity of captain’s time on the training pitch in Pakistan.
Crawley said Stokes was recovering well but added, “His availability for the series opener in Multan on Monday wasn’t even considered by me.” He reiterated that Stokes needed to be examined more before it could be ascertained whether he was fit for the game. The last communication from Stokes reported by the officials about the exact date of his return stated that Stokes was very likely to make it to the Test series against Pakistan.
Stokes came out to bowl a few deliveries off a shortened run-up in an empty net, did some running drills, and had a bit of batting practice for around half an hour. Chances of him bowling seem small at the moment, and with the list of players to be announced on Saturday, he has less than 24 hours remaining to show that he is fit to play. Ollie Pope is the other player who can provide services as captain when Stokes is out.
Though Crawley did not take a bat till the middle of September, England felt confident enough to play him at the top of the order, which adds to the loss of Dan Lawrence from the team. According to Crawley, his fractured little finger in the right hand, which he suffered when making a slip catch against West Indies in July, was at the best stage of recovery.
As a precautionary move, Crawley is not going back to the cordon at the moment, but he did some one-on-one catching practice with Brendon McCullum on Friday. He said, “The injury was pretty sore at the time, but I’m all right now, and I don’t feel anything when batting.” He also said that while playing in the field, he was careful, letting the wound heal fully.
He mostly avoided cricket but kept updating himself through television coverage and returned back to the game with a renewed sense of purpose. He declared how much he enjoys playing for England and desired to make some more contribution in their goodwill at the moment of crossing the boundary successfully. The break from the game of cricket has given him a sense of renewal and further hunger for the same.
Such conditions are in sharp contrast to the wet, cold English weather that they had been witnessing through their home summer in Bristol. But it is the sweat coming out of the skin that shows as the weather there is hot. Crawley was of the opinion that though the conditions here may be extremely adverse, the team is pretty well-equipped to handle them. The team, he opined, has experience playing in hot climates and moreover, the intense training sessions that they have been undergoing have helped them get acclimatized.
Crawley is also positive towards the choice to hold the first two matches in Multan, taking into account the slow pace of reconstruction work at Karachi Stadium. He enjoyed the convenience and services, including snooker tables, a swimming pool, and golf courses, in his hotel and was praising about the hospitality of the residents.
