Injured captain Ben Stokes urges England to repeat Pakistan clean sweep as Joe Root closes in on milestone

Ben Stokes confirmed he would miss Monday’s first Test against Pakistan in Multan but urged his teammates to repeat their famous clean sweep here two years ago.

The England captain spoke of his frustration as he faces a fourth consecutive spell on the sidelines due to the hamstring injury he sustained during the Hundred in August. And he cannot yet say whether he will be fit for the second Test, also in Multan, which starts on October 15.

But he remains an omnipotent presence in the dressing room, and the wisdom that comes from England’s tour in December 2022 – when they became the first visiting side to whitewash Pakistan 3-0 – will be at the disposal of stand-in captain Ollie Pope if he needs it.

“3-0 is definitely what we’re going for,” Stokes said. ‘We always go out to win the game. The conditions we were exposed to last time may be completely different here, but we have to adapt and figure out the best way to win.”

England are intrigued by a green-tinged surface at a venue where Pakistan came within 27 of chasing an imposing target of 355 in the fourth innings two years ago.

Stokes has now been sidelined for four consecutive tests due to a hamstring injury

England will be hoping to repeat their heroics from 2022, when they won 3-0 against Pakistan

And they know this time they will have to succeed without any of the three frontline seamers who shared 12 wickets in that win: Mark Wood is injured, Jimmy Anderson has retired and Ollie Robinson has fallen out of favour.

The responsibility will instead fall to Chris Woakes, the only seamstress in the squad with some Test experience in Asia, along with debutant Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson, one of the stars of the English summer. Olly Stone, meanwhile, will return home for his wedding before returning to Pakistan in time for the second Test.

There is a recall for spinner Jack Leach, who has not appeared for England since the first Test against India in Hyderabad in January but played a key role in the victory here two years ago. He will team up with his Somerset colleague Shoaib Bashir, with Joe Root on hand to bowl off-breaks if required.

Just standing in the outfield yesterday was enough to get a sense of the magnitude that awaits England, in conditions that couldn’t be more different from the chill that descended during the home summer.

Chris Woakes is the only seamer in the England squad with any previous Test experience in Asia

Jack Leach was called back into the England team after not playing a Test since January

Joe Root is just 71 runs away from eclipsing Alastair Cook as England’s leading Test run scorer

“It’s really exciting for the boys to come here and be exposed to these conditions for the first time,” said Stokes, who revealed he had signed his new central contract with the ECB, expected to be for two years . “It will show them how difficult Test cricket can be.

“It’s tough anyway, but when you come to Pakistan when the temperatures are high 30s and low 40s, you need character. And we have a lot of characters in our dressing room who are willing to take up the challenge of playing Test cricket here.”

As England look to record a third straight series win after home wins over the West Indies and Sri Lanka, Root will play a game within a game, needing just 71 to overtake Alastair Cook’s 12,472 and make the key Test run to become England’s scorer.

“I would like to achieve more in this game, so consider it a bit irrelevant,” he said. ‘I feel like I still have to play for a long time, so it’s not really a focus. Above all, it ensures that we get off to a good start.’

Whether England succeed may depend on the mood the Pakistanis are in as they try to end a dreadful home run of six defeats and no wins in their last ten Tests.

Yet they look strong on paper, with captain Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie, the former Australian quick, keen to tout positive cricket. And they have a score to settle. If Babar Azam can impose himself with the bat, and Shaheen Shah Afridi with the ball, England will really start to sweat.