Confirmation of a calf tear nearly certainly rules Stokes out of the rest of the Test series, although England have indicated he will be reviewed by the medical team in Birmingham on Monday.
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Cook admitted losing Stokes once again would deprive England of an all-rounder who brings more than just runs and wickets to the team.
The all-rounder had to walk off the field with a calf injury while bowling his sixth over, but it didn’t cost England much as Anderson and Woakes spliced through Pakistan’s batting.
England, who lost the first test at Lord’s by 75 runs, bounced back with a huge first-innings total of 589 for eight declared.
The attention now turns to Edgbaston, where the tourists will hope to put this loss behind them heading into the next match, and third in the series.
Sarfraz Ahmed showed some attacking intent and hit five boundaries in his 26 before nicking Ben Stokes to Root at an overcast Old Trafford.
England captain Alastair Cook said: “He plays on the edge and gives us an edge”. Those two occasions at Lord’s it was batsman error on my part.
With vice-captain Root promoted up the order to number three this series, the pair shared a second-wicket partnership of 185.
Even if Stokes’ latest injury – his third in nine months – overshadowed England’s win, Cook was satisfied with his side’s performance after their 75-run defeat in the opening Test at Lord’s.
With the lead at 564, Cook chose to declare and England’s bowlers were quickly in the groove and Pakistan never threatened as another poor batting display saw them humbled in Manchester.
Misbah was the top scorer for his side, scoring 52 and 35 in first and second innings respectively. If he’s not there at Edgbaston, he’ll be a big miss.
Former England spinner Vic Marks, speaking on BBC Test Match Special, said: “This is a worry – he stopped so abruptly. The amount of stick I got for no enforcing the follow-on, if we were here tomorrow with one wicket to get I think there’d be a few more knives in my back”.
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Coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Alastair Cook are keen to see how Ball progresses, however Finn would seem the more likely pick.
