Ben Stokes could MISS England’s first Test against Pakistan as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury – with Ollie Pope expected to resume as stand-in captain in his absence

Ben Stokes’ return to Test cricket could be delayed after it emerged he could miss Monday’s series opener against Pakistan in Multan.

Stokes sat out the recent home series against Sri Lanka after injuring his hamstring during the Hundred in August, but was hopeful of resuming the captaincy for the first of six Tests in Pakistan and New Zealand between now and Christmas.

England will know more on Saturday about his availability for Monday, with Ollie Pope on standby to continue as captain after leading his team to a 2-1 win over the Sri Lankans.

In any case, Stokes would not have bowled in the first Test as he continues to manage his return from injury, throwing just a step or two over during training in near 40 degree heat in Multan yesterday/Friday.

But if confirmed, his absence would leave England having to re-figure how best to balance the team as they return to the scene of a famous victory two years ago, when they became the first visiting side in Test history who won with 3 victories. 0 in Pakistan.

The England captain has been training with his teammates as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury

With Stokes unavailable, Ollie Pope led England to a 2-1 win over Sri Lanka last month

“He’s recovering well from his injury but we don’t know that yet,” opening batsman Zak Crawley said. “I think he still needs to do a few more tests, but he’s been doing some running and stuff.”

Asked about the balance of the squad, Crawley said: “We have plenty of options with the ball and the bat – and bowlers who can bat very well, as proved in the summer. We feel ready, whichever team comes out. Either way, it will be a nice balance.’

While Stokes’ return could still be postponed until the second Test, also in Multan, starting on October 15, Crawley is ready to go after missing the Sri Lanka series with a broken finger.

He has been advised by team doctors not to play in the slips, but he insisted he felt no pain in the little finger of his right hand while batting. And absence has made the heart grow fonder.

“It showed how much I enjoy playing for England,” he said. ‘I came back with a new hunger and a lot of energy.’

It was Crawley who kicked off an astonishing opening day of the series two years ago, hitting Naseem Shah for 14 in the first over of the first Test in Rawalpindi, and scoring the first of England’s four centuries as they 506 for four gathered with stumps.

‘I’m proud of that blow; it’s one of the favorite days of my career,” he said. “It was great to see other guys go and get 650.”

Zak Crawley insisted he has returned with a ‘new hunger’ after missing the Sri Lanka series with a broken finger

And he plans to take a more nuanced approach to attacking Pakistan as England look to continue the ‘refinement’ that coach Brendon McCullum called for after the 4-1 defeat in India early this year.

“Something I’ve been thinking about over the last few months is being able to adapt better,” he said. “I’m still going to be very aggressive – I always will be – but it’s just playing the right shots.”

He may also have to adapt to a Multan pitch that looked surprisingly green just 72 hours after the toss. “We’ll see,” Crawley said. “It could be a slightly different series than last time.”