• Hopes of leading his country out in in Multan fade
• Ollie Pope will continue to deputise as captain

England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan starting on Monday, and is in doubt for the second, with his recovery from a hamstring tear ahead of schedule but not yet complete.

“I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this first game, but I’ve taken the call to miss this one,” Stokes said. “I’ve not quite managed to get game ready. I’ve got a good 10 days to try and get myself ready for the second. Looking at the bigger picture around what we’ve got coming up and physically where I’m at with my rehab, I’m not quite ready to play.”