England all-rounder Ben Stokes misses third Test against Pakistan

By Ben Reynolds

England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss the third Test against Pakistan because of injury

England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston with a torn calf muscle.

Stokes' absence is not a surprise after he pulled up while bowling in the 330-run second Test win at Old Trafford, which levelled the four-Test series at 1-1.

Nottinghamshire seamer Jake Ball has been included in the 13-man squad alongside Middlesex pace bowler Steven Finn and Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

Stokes, who has suffered an injury-ravaged summer, will be assessed again by England's medical team when the team meets in Birmingham on Sunday ahead of the third Test, which starts on Wednesday.

Image: All-rounder Chris Woakes has impressed during the first two matches of the series

He underwent knee surgery after hurting himself during the first Test against Sri Lanka in May and after missing the two subsequent matches in that series victory and the limited overs matches that followed, he returned for the first time at Old Trafford only to break down again.

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England have opted against a like-for-like all-rounder replacement, with coach Trevor Bayliss happy with the performance of Chris Woakes in the opening two games.

Image: Adil Rashid could be in line for a Test return at Edgbaston

That means either Finn or Ball will complete a four-man seam attack unless Rashid is granted his maiden Test on home soil - having played only in the United Arab Emirates so far, in England's series defeat against Pakistan last winter.

Also See:

England squad: A Cook (capt), A Hales, J Root, J Vince, G Ballance, J Bairstow (wkt), M Ali, C Woakes, S Broad, S Finn, J Anderson, A Rashid, J Ball

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