‘The risk is too high’ – Stokes to miss fifth Test

England captain Ben Stokes says his latest injury will not impact his participation in this winter’s Ashes after he was ruled out of the fifth and final Test against India, which starts on Thursday.

Stokes misses out at The Oval with a shoulder problem, sustained during the draw at Old Trafford, with a tight turnaround of just four days between Tests.

But the all-rounder says he is only expecting to be sidelined for around six or seven weeks.

“It is one of those of weighing up the risk-reward, and the risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is,” said Stokes.

“I wouldn’t expect to put any of my players at risk with an injury like this. Once this series is done I was feet up anyway – it doesn’t really make too much difference to what I’ve got from the end of the series up until the winter.”

Ollie Pope will lead the side in Stokes’ absence while Jacob Bethell will bat at number six.

There are also three changes to the bowling line-up with quicks Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, who has played all four Tests so far, also missing out alongside spinner Liam Dawson.

All-rounder Stokes struggled across the final three days of the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, as he bowled 24 overs in India’s first innings but only 11 in their second.

He was seen struggling with his right shoulder in the warm-up on day five and was continually prodding at it during his bowling spell.

But he insists he would not have done anything differently regarding his workloads across the first four Tests.

“When I’m out on the field I play to win and give everything I possibly can. If I feel there’s a moment in a game where I need to put everything I’m feeling aside, I’ll do that because it’s how much this team means to me, how much playing for England means to me, how much winning means to me.

“There’s absolutely nothing I could have done before. Being a professional sportsman, injuries are part of this game and I can’t do anything about that.”

It is a significant blow to England considering his superb form that has seen him earn back-to-back player of the match awards.

He took 5-72 with the ball in India’s first innings in Manchester, then followed up with 141 with the bat, becoming only the fourth England man to take a five-wicket haul and score a century in the same Test.

It leaves England’s seam bowling attack looking light. Tongue took 11 wickets across the first two Tests, Woakes has taken 10 while Overton has only played one Test, which came against New Zealand in 2022.

Atkinson also makes his return from injury for his first appearance of the series, having hurt his hamstring during England’s one-off Test v Zimbabwe in May. He has played just one second XI game since.

Without a specialist spinner, Bethell and Root are the part-time options.

There was some hope that Mark Wood could be fit in time for this Test after his knee surgery but he is instead targeting the white-ball matches against South Africa at the end of the summer.

Archer’s omission comes after he has played back-to-back Tests, having made his red-ball comeback after four years in the third game at Lord’s, with England hoping both he and Wood will be fit for the winter’s Ashes in Australia.

Stokes hinted at the need for “fresh legs” after England spent 143 overs in the field across the final two days in Manchester but his own injury leaves plenty of unknowns.

Overton has played one first-class match for Surrey since May after he suffered a finger injury playing for England in a one-day international against West Indies in the same month.

Atkinson shone during his debut international summer in 2024, but his only cricket since the Zimbabwe Test has been a club match three weeks ago and a Surrey second XI game last week where he bowled 30 overs.

Stokes’ century at Old Trafford was his first in more than two years but his absence from the batting line-up will be less of a concern for England.

Bethell, 21, made a stunning start to Test cricket at the end of last year with three half-centuries in three matches against New Zealand and there have been calls for him to be included in the XI throughout the summer.