England’s hopes in the third Test at Lord’s have taken a slight hit as concerns mount over the fitness of skipper Ben Stokes. The all-rounder, who was batting alongside Joe Root at the close of Day 1, appeared to suffer a groin strain during the latter stages of the day’s play. Despite receiving medical attention on the field, Stokes continued to bat and walked off unbeaten on 39.

England vice-captain Ollie Pope addressed the media after stumps and confirmed that Stokes’ condition would be reassessed on Friday morning. Given the pivotal nature of the series and Stokes’ injury history—including knee surgery in 2023 and two recent hamstring issues—England will be cautious about how they manage their captain’s workload in the coming days.

“Fingers crossed it’s nothing too serious and he can come back strong and maybe even produce some magic,” said Ollie Pope. “We’ve got a lot of cricket left in this match and two more big Tests after this, so managing him wisely is important.”

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Pope also acknowledged his own role in helping Stokes avoid overexertion, adding, “It’s part of my job to make sure he doesn’t push himself beyond what’s necessary. The physios and medical staff will assess the situation and map out a plan.”

At stumps, England were comfortably placed at 251 for 4, with Joe Root standing tall on 99*, just a run away from his 37th Test century and potentially his eighth at Lord’s—already a record.

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Though Root fell short of the milestone on Day 1, Pope said the senior batter wouldn’t lose sleep over it. “He’s got 36 of them already,” Pope quipped. “Of course, he’d have liked to get it tonight, but he’s focused on the bigger picture. Hopefully he turns it into a massive innings and takes us past 400 or even 500.”