- Stokes has withdrawn from India series over mental wellbeing
- Pope: ‘It’s sad but I think it’s a reminder to everyone’
Ollie Pope says the withdrawal of Ben Stokes for the Test series against India is a reminder of how mentally tough the demands of playing international sport are during a pandemic.
Stokes, England’s Test vice-captain and heartbeat of the team, has taken an indefinite break from cricket to protect his mental wellbeing and rest the left-index finger he fractured playing in the Indian Premier League in April. The all-rounder’s absence is a blow to England’s chances in the five-Test series against India that starts at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.