England are set to delay a decision on the bowling fitness of star all-rounder Ben Stokes before naming their final XI to play Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford. Stokes' quad injury meant he was unable to bowl in England's victory over the West Indies at the Manchester ground last week, which sealed a 2-1 series victory. He was selected as a specialist batsman for that match, with England dropping Zak Crawley from their top order to make room for an extra bowler.

Now England captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood must decide whether to adopt a similar strategy as they go in search of a first series win against Pakistan since 2010. Stokes bowled in the Manchester nets on Monday but rain cut short his planned stint on Tuesday. "We still need to know a bit more about where Ben is at," Root said at his pre-match press conference. "Because of the weather he wasn't able to bowl outside so we'll probably wait on that tonight and make a decision in the morning (Wednesday).