Ben Stokes will not be part of the remaining two Test matches of the England-Pakistan series for personal reasons. He will be leaving for New Zealand where his parents live. England are leading the series 1-0 after a terrific 3-wicket win in Old Trafford.

England pacer Jofra Archer has admitted that the team will miss the services of the mercurial all-rounder when the second Test begins at Ageas Bowl from Thursday.

"When I was in quarantine in Manchester, he would come past my hotel room each night after play - as did Joe Root - knock on the door and check on me. He cares about those around him. If you are going into battle, Stokes is the person you want right next to you. He would never run away from a challenge, but family is so important and he has to be in New Zealand right now,” Archer wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

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"We all understand that, support him and hope things settle quickly and he can come back when he is ready," he added.

"England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss the remainder of the #raisethebat Test series against Pakistan for family reasons. Stokes will leave the UK later this week and travel to New Zealand. He will miss England's two Test matches against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl starting on Thursday 13 August and Friday 21 August. The England and Wales Cricket Board, along with the Stokes family, requests that all media respects the family's privacy at this time,” the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.

(IANS inputs)