Will England captain Ben Stokes play fifth Test against India?

MANCHESTER: England captain Ben Stokes on Sunday brushed aside injury concerns and declared himself likely to feature in the fifth and final Test against India here at The Oval, starting Thursday. 

Speaking at the post match press conference, Stokes revealed that the injury flared up due to a heavy workload across the series but insisted that the issue is manageable. 

“It’s actually my bicep tendon. It’s had quite a lot of workload, and it’s just been creeping around. But it didn’t get any worse throughout the day, so that’s why I kept on going,” he explained.

The allrounder has bowled 140 overs in this series, the most in his Test career, including a memorable five-wicket haul in India’s first innings at Old Trafford, his first in eight years. 

Despite retiring hurt on Friday after a blow while batting, Stokes returned to score a resilient century, his first in two years.

Acknowledging the physical toll, Stokes said, “it’s been a pretty big workload so far in the series. I had a big week at Lord’s and then the same again this week. I said it a few times to the guys out there, pain is just an emotion.”

Stokes conceded that England might rotate their bowling attack to introduce fresh legs for the final Test. 

“If you look at how long we’ve been out in the field and the overs bowled, everyone is going to be pretty sore and tired. These recovery days will be important, and we might need to make some decisions,” he said, hinting at possible changes to the pace attack.

He expected to play the last match before a long break from Test cricket. 

“Hopefully it settles down, and we’ll be good as gold for the last game. I don’t want to eat my words, but the likelihood that I won’t play is very unlikely,” Stokes concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that the fifth and final Test between England and India will begin on Thursday at The Oval, with England leading the series 2-1.