Stokes likely to miss Aussie showdown
BEN STOKES is set to miss England’s one-day series against Australia after suffering a torn hamstring that ruled him out of the second Test against Pakistan. Stokes was back to something close to his best during England’s defeat in the first Test at Lord’s, hitting 38, taking three wickets and sending Babar Azam to hospital with a broken arm. But he injured his left hamstring during training on Wednesday. England will reassess him in the next day or two, but it is understood he is likely to sit out next Sunday’s one-day international against Scotland in Edinburgh, plus the five 50-over games against Australia, starting at The Oval on June 13. With England already naming a 14-man squad for the Australia series, they could choose not to replace Stokes. Meanwhile, the ICC have pleaded with Al Jazeera to release all the material they have relating to corruption in cricket following a documentary alleging spot-fixing by three England and two Australia Test players. ICC chief executive Dave Richardson said: ‘We understand and fully respect the need to protect journalistic sources. However, to prove or disprove these allegations, we need to see the evidence referred to in the programme.’ Al Jazeera say they remain committed to exposing corruption, but are wary of sharing material while potential criminal investigations are taking place into their allegations in Sri Lanka and India. The situation is complicated by the fact the ECB haven’t ruled out legal action against the broadcasters.