Waqar Younis calls on Pakistan to take advantage of Ben Stokes' absence from Test series

England captain Joe Root expects veteran seamer James Anderson to retain his place in the XI for the second Test

Ben Stokes, left, is missing the rest of the Test series between England and Pakistan due to family reasons. Reuters

Pakistan assistant coach Waqar Younis has urged his team to take advantage of England being without Ben Stokes for the second Test as the tourists aim to level the three-match series.

England all-rounder and vice-captain Stokes is heading to New Zealand, where his father is recovering from a serious illness, and will miss both the second Test, which starts on Thursday, as well as the series finale, both at Southampton.

As well as being a good enough batsman to feature in the top order, paceman Stokes is capable of match-changing spells with the ball and is an inspirational figure within the England set-up.

He cemented the position last year during England's World Cup final triumph and in leading the side to a stunning one-wicket win in the third Test against Australia at Headingley with an unbeaten century.

Stokes, however, had a modest match with the bat during England's the last week, where he wasn't fully fit to bowl because of a quad injury.

But fast-bowling great Waqar, now coaching the current generation of Pakistan quicks, was in no doubt England would be poorer for Stokes' absence.

"If he's not around it's unfortunate for cricket but there is no doubt he is a match-winner," Waqar said. "If he's not around England will probably be a touch light in their middle order, so we're going to try to cash in.

"He's the kind of batsman who takes the game away from you, single-handedly at times. But the way we bowled at him in the previous game showed we had very clear plans and executed really well."

Stokes' absence has led to a call-up for uncapped Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, has been included in England’s 14-man squad.

Robinson, who trained with the squad during the West Indies series, has been outstanding in the domestic game in recent seasons – the most prolific among any pace bowler with 137 wickets across the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.

Whether or not Robinson comes into contention for a first international appearance could depend on how the remainder of the seam attack shapes up after a congested summer of Test cricket.

England will assess the fitness of Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, both on fine form but with three Test appearances in less than four weeks, as well as James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.

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Gallery: England win first Test against Pakistan

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England captain Joe Root would not confirm how the team would line up but did reveal that, barring any late setbacks, Anderson would be among the XI.

Anderson, 38, dismissed suggestions he was contemplating retirement after a moderate showing at his home ground last time out and will be given an immediate chance to bounce back.

“Jimmy is likely to play, yes. Wouldn’t you give him the opportunity with nearly 600 wickets?” Root said.

“To get that stuff off his chest and talked about has definitely helped him. With Jimmy it won’t be long before he’s right back at the peak of his powers and I’m very much looking forward to him performing this week. I don’t think it will be long before he’s got another five-for beside his name.”