Stokes ready to bowl more on ‘raked’ pitch

Captain Ben Stokes says he is fit enough to play a greater role with the ball after England picked three spinners on a pitch that has been “raked” for the deciding Test against Pakistan.

All-rounder Stokes bowled 10 overs in England’s defeat in the second Test, his first game in more than two months following a hamstring injury.

Gus Atkinson and Stokes are the only pace bowlers in the England XI for Thursday’s third Test in Rawalpindi. The tourists have recalled leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed to form a spin trio alongside Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir.

“It was good to get through it,” said Stokes of the second Test. “I have put myself through my paces at training, bowled two spells.

“Coming in and being one of only two seamers, I’m fully confident that I’ll be able to get more out of myself this week than I did last week.”

Stokes, 33, barely bowled from the spring of 2023 to the home summer of 2024 as he struggled with a long-term left knee injury.

He had surgery last November and was eventually able to return to his full role as an all-rounder until he suffered the hamstring injury playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred in August.

Now, England’s selection raises the prospect of Stokes opening the bowling for only the third occasion in his 106-Test career.

The last time was on the same Rawalpindi ground in 2022, when England won an epic first Test on the way to a 3-0 series win.

After England won a run-filled first Test of this series, Pakistan opted to reuse the same pitch in Multan for the second Test. Their spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan shared all 20 wickets as the hosts levelled the series.

Captain Shan Masood expressed a desire for the Rawalpindi pitch to turn, and pictures emerged on social media on Sunday of the surface being dried with industrial-sized fans, heaters and windbreaks.

Stokes had no objections to the preparation methods, but he also said it is “pretty obvious” the pitch has been raked.

“I’ve never been a groundsman, but you’d think a rake would assist the spin,” said Stokes. “We can have a good guess which ends the Pakistan spinners will operate from.

“There’s not too much grass to hold everything together. It will be interesting to see how it goes. It will be a pretty good wicket for the first couple of days, at least.”

Ahmed, then aged 18, became the youngest man to play a Test for England in the final match of the series in Pakistan in 2022, marking his debut with a five-wicket haul.

The Leicestershire bowler has played three more Tests since, the last of which came against India in Rajkot in February. He has taken 18 wickets at an average of 34.5.

“Leg-spinners have an amazing ability to break a game open,” said Stokes. “Having his batting ability lower down the order is also a massive bonus.

“The way Leach and Bashir have bowled has been fantastic in these first two Tests. Adding Rehan’s free spirit and desperation to change the game every time he’s got the ball in his hand is a massive bonus for us this week.”