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Pakistan v England: Ben Stokes explains Ben Foakes snub, Mark Wood recall

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England have made one change to the side that won in Rawalpindi (Picture: Getty)

Ben Stokes has told Ben Foakes his omission from England’s team for the second Test against Pakistan has no reflection on his future prospects.

Foakes was named in England’s team for the series opener in Rawalpindi but had to pull out on the morning of the Test due to illness, with more than half of the playing squad struggling with a viral infection.

The Surrey wicketkeeper was in contention to return to the side this week in Multan but England have made just one change, bringing in fast bowler Mark Wood for the injured Liam Livingstone.

Stokes has repeatedly called Foakes ‘the best wicketkeeper in the world’ and has urged the 29-year-old not to read too much into his omission this week.

With Foakes overlooked, Ollie Pope will keep for England, who took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with a remarkable 74-run win in the first Test.

‘The selection is just for this Test,’ said Stokes. ‘I’ll still keep saying he’s the best keeper in the world, so it must sound silly for us to not pick him.

‘Adding Mark Wood into the side gives us a better chance of taking 20 wickets. We did say to Ben to not take this as anything for the future.

Ben Foakes was due to play in the series opener but fell ill (Picture: Getty)

‘We didn’t have this on our radar until the illness he unfortunately had before the first Test. This is definitely no sign for his future.’

Wood has taken 195 wickets for England across the formats but has not played a Test since March, with an elbow injury ruling him out for much of the home summer.

The 32-year-old helped England win the T20 World Cup last month but missed the semi-final and final through injury.

On Wood’s return to the red-ball team, Stokes added: ‘Having someone in your squad who can bowl at 150 km/h is a massive bonus for any team around the world, especially as Pakistan is a very hard place to come and win.

‘Having someone of his calibre and what he brings will be massive for us. It will add to our ability to take 20 wickets.’

Victory for England in Multan would ensure a first series win against Pakistan outside of the UK for 22 years.


MORE : Ben Stokes want to be ‘even more adventurous’ in second Test against Pakistan


MORE : Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting opens up on ‘scary’ health scare

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