Ben Stokes sustains calf injury during second Test

Ben Stokes, the England all-rounder, picked up a calf injury during the ongoing Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Monday (July 25), putting a cloud over his participation for the remainder of the England summer.


Stokes pulled up after bowling the second ball of his sixth over to Younis Khan during the afternoon session on day four. Such was the extent of his pain that he could not even bend down and stop a gentle tap back to him by the batsman. Unable to complete the over, the 25-year-old left the field along with the physio.
 
Stokes, who suffered the injury on his right calf, was deemed unfit to bowl again on the fourth day, a fact confirmed by an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) spokesman. The Durham all-rounder will have an MRI scan taken on Tuesday and is unlikely to take the field on the final day.
 
Stokes will be hoping that the injury is only a strain and not a tear of his calf with latter likely to increase his layoff time.
 
This is the second injury that Stokes has sustained in the last three months. The all-rounder had pulled up midway during the first Test against Sri Lanka in May after suffering an injury to his left knee and subsequently underwent a surgery.