Trevor Bayliss: ‘Ben Stokes will be a big loss’

Ben Stokes will miss the third Test against Pakistan after injuring his calf during England’s victory at Old Trafford on Monday.

Stokes will meet up with the squad on Monday for further reassessment on his injury with England medical staff raising hopes that the setback is not as bad as first feared.

Possible England squad (third Investec Test v Pakistan at Edgbaston): AN Cook (Captain), AD Hales, JE Root, JM Vince, GS Ballance, JM Bairstow (wkt), MM Ali, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, ST Finn, JM Anderson, JT Ball, AU Rashid.

Ben Stokes will have an MRI scan on Tuesday to determine the extent of the right calf injury which cast a shadow over England’s push for a series-levelling victory at Old Trafford.

England wasted little time in advancing their overnight score to 173-1 before declaring, while three wickets apiece for seamer James Anderson and all-rounders Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali saw Pakistan routed for 234 in their second innings.

“The way Joe Root played in this test I think that is the way test match cricket should be played”, he added. The next Test is scheduled to take place on 3 August at Birmingham but before that the visitors will play Worcestershire in a warm-up/tour game on 29 July.

With the bowlers refreshed having had their feet up while Cook batted, England’s leader of the attack Jimmy Anderson backed-up his skipper’s decision by knocking over two wickets early in Pakistan’s second innings.

Doing without Stokes, however, is something England have got used to in a season where he has started only two out of five Tests and has not finished one.

“We have Steven Finn and Jake Ball who missed out here so we are lucky on that side, it is a real strength in depth”. “The amount of stick I got for no enforcing the follow-on, if we were here tomorrow with one wicket to get I think there’d be a few more knives in my back”.

Now drawing level in the series at 1-1, England proved more than the measure of their opponents in what was a fairly one-sided affair from the off. “Yes, he’s a big player for us – he adds a lot of spark to the team”, he told reporters.

England, trailing 1-0 in the series after defeat at Lord’s, amassed 589 for eight declared in their first innings with Root scoring 254.