Ben Stokes bowled through pain on Day Five at Old Trafford as England desperately tried to break through India's resistance. Having starred with the ball in the series, he and England face a tough choice over whether to rest him for the deciding Test at The Oval.
Having put in one of his best performances in Manchester, a five-for in the first innings followed by a true Stokesian century before he took the wicket of KL Rahul on day five, it’s uncertain whether England’s captain will be able to see out their summer on the pitch. He retired hurt with cramp for a period on day three before coming back at the end of the day, but looked in increasing pain after reaching three figures on day four. Fit to bowl the following day, he massaged a muscle in his upper chest repeatedly between deliveries as England searched for a breakthrough.
Over the course of this year Stokes has looked to put the fitness concerns he has battled over the last few to bed. He’s bowled more overs in this series against India than in any other bilateral series of his career, and leads the way in the wicket standings. England need to avoid defeat at The Oval to win the series. But they need to balance that with this winter’s challenge of winning the Ashes for the first time in over a decade. "I'm doing everything I can to be fit to bowl at The Oval," Stokes said after the draw was confirmed at Old Trafford. But having needed to lie in bed for four days after a marathon effort at Lord's, whether it's wise for him to rouse himself again is a question only he and England's medical team can answer.
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England face several dilemmas over the rest of their bowling attack, and only a three-day break before stepping onto the field again. Chris Woakes has now played four Tests in a row at 36 years old, Brydon Carse has also played every game in the series so far and went wicketless at Old Trafford. Jofra Archer has now played back-to-back Tests after four years on the sidelines, with Mark Wood's fitness to come in also still uncertain. Gus Atkinson is returning after a lay-off, with Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue and Sam Cook among those on the sidelines. None of those selection choices, however, give them the same headache leaving out Stokes does, with his previous spells out of the side resulting in England being either being a batter or bowler short. Equally, smarting from his most-hated result in a Test that was within England's grasp, it will take a lot to keep Stokes off the field for the final push.
A return for Rehan Ahmed
When Stokes has been injured previously, England have struggled to balance their XI in the absence of their only true all-rounder. Against Sri Lanka last year, Chris Woakes came in at No.7, with their other bit-part batting contributors stacked up behind. However, this time around they have an option who could offer enough with both bat and ball to be a better replacement. Rehan Ahmed’s promotion to top-order batter for Leicestershire has yielded four centuries so far this season, and this week he completed a rare double of scoring a hundred and taking 10 wickets in a first-class game.
Given that he now bats at No.3 in the County Championship with a significant bank of runs behind him, there’s enough evidence that he’s more than the nighthawk promoted on his Test debut in Pakistan almost three years ago. Equally, including him as the specialist spinner would mean England could pick four quicks if they wanted to. It’s the bazballer’s choice.
A space opens up for Jacob Bethell
England have been biding their time to find a way to get Jacob Bethell back into their XI, holding him back despite injury to Shoaib Bashir and insisting they saw his future as a specialist batter. With Stokes out and Dawson reliably holding up an end, there could just be scope to fit Bethell into the side at No.6, with some part-timers from him and Root filling out the overs.
Four seamers and a long but strong tail
Perhaps the most likely option is that England follow their previous Stokesless blueprint and pick an extra seamer. This feels even more likely this time around given how much of the bowling load Stokes has taken on in this series. That balance would likely mean Woakes plays five Tests in a row, with Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Sam Cook, Jamie Overton and Mark Wood other possible swaps for Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer if necessary. While that lineup would lengthen England’s tail, there’s enough batting there for it to wag. Dawson would come in at No.7 off the back of a solid performance with the bat in Manchester, while Woakes and Atkinson are both Test centurions. If Carse retains his spot he’d come in off the back of three strong batting outings in as many Tests, and both Wood and Archer can clear the boundary at No.11.
Stokes plays as a specialist batter
Stokes has previously played as a specialist batter when coming back from injury, or when unable to trust his body to get through a spell. Looking at his physical deterioration throughout the match, his most likely option to stay on the park is to drastically reduce or opt out of his bowling load. In that scenario, England will either have to get through the game with three seamers, or go in with Joe Root taking over spin duties as and when, and play an extra seamer.
In a deciding Test match in one of the biggest series of Stokes’ captaincy, and with four months off until the first Ashes Test, there’s every likelihood that he’ll push through the pain to finish line. But how to get him through it safely is the most important task.
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