England captain Ben Stokes a major doubt for Sri Lanka Test series after suffering a serious-looking hamstring injury playing in the Hundred

Ben Stokes looks set to miss England’s first Test against Sri Lanka later this month, and potentially the entire series, after suffering what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury playing in the Hundred on Sunday night.

Stokes, 33, has been ever-present since taking over as England captain midway through 2022, but that 26-game stretch appears over after he left the field in agony at Emirates Old Trafford 10 days shy of the Test being played at the same venue.

Batting for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals, he pulled up after haring through for a leg bye from the 12th ball of the match’s second innings and collapsed to the turf, holding the back of the left knee operated on last December and tossing his gloves away in frustration.

Stokes also punched his leg in obvious anguish while being treated by the Superchargers medical team, before limping off the field and being wheeled into the pavilion on a gurney.

England take on the Sri Lankans in three matches spanning just 21 days, placing his further participation this summer in doubt. The Test tour of Pakistan begins in the first week of October.

Stokes pulled up while batting for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals

Ollie Pope is England’s vice-captain and would be the obvious choice to lead the side in Stokes’ absence.

Asked by Mail Sport recently about the prospect of having to lead the side in the event of a Stokes injury between now and the end of 2024 – the three Tests in Pakistan are followed by three more in New Zealand – Pope said: ‘If it required me to do it, I’d be pretty clear about how I want to go about things.’

Pope, 26, has little captaincy experience but did deputise for Surrey earlier this summer when regular Twenty20 captain Chris Jordan was away on international duty.

‘I said I’d make the right decision sometimes and be unlucky and that I would make the wrong decision and get lucky,’ Pope said.

‘Having that kind of mindset of being at peace when you’ve made a decision and sticking with it is the way to go for me.’

Stokes also aggravated a damaged finger the last time he played in the Hundred three years ago, which led to him being touch and go for the Ashes the following winter.

Ollie Pope is England’s vice-captain and would be the obvious choice to lead the side 

He was being assessed in the dressing room last night and will undergo further checks to assess the level of the damage today.

England have already lost Zak Crawley for the remainder of the home season due to a fractured finger, with Dan Lawrence set to open for the first time in Tests.

The absence of Stokes would further upset the team’s balance, however, as last year’s successful knee operation allowed him to operate as an all-rounder during the 3-0 whitewash of West Indies.