England face anxious wait over Ollie Pope damage with Dan Lawrence on standby
O
llie Pope is ready to endure scans on his injured shoulder, with the England vice-captain determined to be match for this week’s Third Ashes Test at Headingley.
Pope sustained the damage whereas fielding in Australia’s first innings after which aggravated the issue within the second, having been instructed by match referees that he must area so as to bat in his standard place at No3 throughout England’s chase.
England are hopeful that the Surrey man shall be okay to function in Leeds, with Ben Stokes’s aspect in must-win mode having gone 2-0 down within the sequence following Australia’s 43-run win at Lord’s.
Within an hour of that recreation ending, England introduced a squad for the Third Test that includes no new faces, the one modifications being within the omissions of younger bowlers Matthew Potts and Rehan Ahmed, as Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum whittled their group down to fifteen.
Essex’s Dan Lawrence stays the one spare batter within the squad and might be in line to win his first Test cap in additional than a yr ought to Pope miss out.
Provided the 25-year-old is match, the one modifications in England’s XI are anticipated to return in refreshing and, maybe, rejigging the bowling assault.
Stokes opted for an all-seam line-up for the primary time in his captaincy at Lord’s, that call partially influenced by concern over Moeen Ali’s blistered finger, however Ahmed’s launch suggests England are assured the spinner is able to play.
Mark Wood had been in line to function within the Second Test and appears sure to return in to offer Australia with their first specific tempo examination of the sequence, England hedging that one other week of constructing workloads may see the short able to play three video games on the bounce now if required.
James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson have all performed back-to-back Tests and Anderson seems likeliest to overlook out at Leeds, having seemed effectively under his finest to this point within the sequence and with the Fourth Test to return at his residence floor, Old Trafford.
Australia are set at hand an Ashes debut to Todd Murphy, with Nathan Lyon now formally dominated out of the sequence after tearing his calf at Lord’s.
The 22-year-old impressed on debut through the tour of India earlier this yr and Australia have determined in opposition to including additional spin cowl to their squad.