He was at the non-striker's end when Ollie Robinson, his Superchargers team-mate, attempted a scoop which he mistimed into the leg side, and scampered through for a single. He appeared to pull his muscle as he made his ground then collapsed to the ground and threw his gloves off in frustration. Harry Booker (strength and conditioning coach) and James Pipe (physiotherapist) immediately ran on to provide treatment.

After Booker and Pipe helped him back to the Superchargers dugout, supporting his weight, Stokes was placed onto a stretcher and wheeled towards an ambulance. The Superchargers did not confirm the nature of the injury, with a team spokesperson saying: "He's being assessed at the moment," around 20 minutes after he retired hurt.

The injury appears to put Stokes' chances of playing in the first Test - which starts on August 21 in Manchester - in significant jeopardy. He has managed a chronic left-knee injury throughout the second half of his international career but returned to bowling earlier this year after undergoing surgery over the English winter.

The Sri Lanka series is squeezed into a short timeframe, with two three-day gaps between Tests. England are then due to arrive in Pakistan in early October ahead of a three-match series which starts in Multan on October 7.