Stokes returns to England team for 2nd test against Pakistan after recovering from torn hamstring

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — England cricket captain Ben Stokes was selected Monday for the second test against Pakistan in Multan after recovering from a torn hamstring.

Stokes is one of two changes to the team that won a remarkable first test of the series, which was also played in Multan.

Matt Potts was recalled, too, with fellow fast bowlers Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes left out. The match starts Tuesday.

Stokes sustained his hamstring injury in August, forcing him out of the entire series when England beat Sri Lanka 2-1. He had played in all three tests in the series against the West Indies, which was won 3-0 by his team in July.

“I like to keep myself in a positive mindset and it allows me telling myself, ‘When you get back onto the field, make sure that you’re fitter than you were when you got injured,'” Stokes said in a news conference.

“You won’t see me miss any test match unless I’m injured.”

Ollie Pope took the captaincy in Stokes' absence, winning three of his four matches in interim control, including the first test in Multan when Pakistan became the first team to lose a test after scoring more than 500 runs when batting first.

England replied by scoring 823-7 declared in its first innings — the fourth-highest total in the history of test cricket — to lay the platform for a famous victory.

For Stokes, it summed up the so-called “Bazball" approach England has adopted since Brendon McCullum arrived as coach in 2022.

“We always try and play to make sure there’s a result,” Stokes said. "Sometimes there are moments in the games where we might have to do something a little bit out of the ordinary to keep the game alive so that both teams have a chance of winning.

“That’s how, with me being captain and Baz being coach, that’s how we both view that cricket should be the winner.”

Potts last played for England's test team in the second test against Sri Lanka at Lord's, though he did feature in the recent ODI series against Australia.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, ⁠Ollie Pope, ⁠Joe Root, ⁠Harry Brook, ⁠Ben Stokes (captain), ⁠Jamie Smith, ⁠Brydon Carse, ⁠Matt Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's Ben Stokes serves drink to teammates on the boundary edge during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Ben Stokes attends a practice session, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

England's Ben Stokes runs during a practice session, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Germany on Saturday was still in shock and struggling to understand the suspect behind the attack in the city of Magdeburg.

Identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A., a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist, authorities said he has been living in Germany for two decades. He was arrested on site after plowing a black BMW into a Christmas market crowded with holiday shoppers Friday evening, killing at least five people and wounding about 200 others.

Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted on X that he had yet to come across a suspect in an act of mass violence with that profile.

Taleb’s X account is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith. He also described himself as a former Muslim.

He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe.”

He has also voiced support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum seekers.

Neumann, the terrorism expert, wrote: “After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar."

A person stands by flowers and candles placed outside St. John's Church near a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)