England’s Ben Stokes winces during batting practice ahead of his team’s match on October 10 against Bangladesh in Dharamshala, on October 8, 2023.,
| Photo Credit: AP

England’s allrounder Ben Stokes is unlikely to appear in the team’s second ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh in Dharamshala on October 10.

Stokes had a brief hit in the nets on Sunday and did some running.

However, he did not appear 100% fit.

A hip niggle kept England’s Test captain out of the World Cup opener against New Zealand, which the defending champion lost by nine wickets.

Stokes, who was the Player of the Match in the 2019 final, came out of One-Day International retirement in August this year despite a long-standing knee injury.

He did not play in England’s warm-up game against Bangladesh in Guwahati as well.

Meanwhile, Chris Tetley, the ICC’s head of events, and pitch consultant Andy Atkinson inspected the outfield during a scheduled visit on Sunday.

“The ICC independent pitch consultant has taken a look at the outfield today and is comfortable with the conditions,” said a spokesperson.

Safety concerns

The outfield conditions during the Bangladesh Afghanistan contest had raised safety concerns.

Several players from both sides lost their footing in the deep, with Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman luckily avoiding a serious knee injury while fielding.

The ICC independent pitch consultant has taken a look at the outfield today and is comfortable with the conditions