England's Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of their upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury.

In Stokes' absence, star no.3 batter Ollie Pope will be leading England in the three-match series at home.

Stokes, who led England to a 3-0 win over the West Indies last month, suffered an injury during the Hundred match played on Sunday.

According to a statement released by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), “England Men’s Test Captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out for the rest of the summer after tearing his left hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday.”

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“As a result of the scans conducted in Leeds on Tuesday, Stokes will miss England’s three-match Rothesay Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday, August 21. There will be no addition to the squad for this series.”

England have decided not to name a replacement for Stokes in their squad for the Sri Lanka series. In his absence, Jordan Cox will come into contention to make his Test debut as a specialist batter at No. 6.

The star all-rounder is now aiming to make a comeback for the three-match Test series against Pakistan in October 2024.

“The all-rounder is aiming to return for England’s winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to start in early October. The tour includes three Test matches in Multan, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. England batter Ollie Pope will captain the side in Ben’s absence,” the release added.

Talking about Pope's captaincy experience, the star batter has only led Surrey against Glamorgan in September 2021.

He has previously captained England XIs in warm-up matches in the UAE ahead of the 2022 Pakistan tour and in New Zealand at the start of 2023.

The Test series between England and Sri Lanka will begin with the first match scheduled to start on August 21 in Manchester.

Lord’s will host the second Test from August 29 whereas the third and final Test is scheduled to take place at the Oval starting on September 6.

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After the Sri Lanka series, England will face Australia in three T20Is and five ODIs at home before travelling to Pakistan for a three-match Test series.

The series opener is scheduled to take place in Multan from October 7–11. Karachi will host the second game from October 15 to 19 while the third Test will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (October 24-28).