New Delhi: England vice-captain and middle-order batsman Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament against Australia with a shoulder injury. Pope was injured during the Second Test at Lord’s.
Ollie Pope is out of the Ashes. pic.twitter.com/jUyxWdtaIO
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) 4 July 2023
the pope has a shoulder injury
Pope has suffered shoulder injuries twice before. He had a scan in London on Monday, which revealed the seriousness of the injury. Now he will have surgery and he will not be able to play in the last three Tests of Ashes 2023.
The 25-year-old injured his shoulder while diving to catch the ball on the first day of the Lord’s Test, but aggravated the injury on the third day. when the umpires insisted that he should go in to field after batting in England’s first innings. He scored 42 runs in the first innings. England spin coach Jeetan Patel admitted that if he had not come forward, England would have landed with 10 players.
Stuart Broad will be the vice-captain
Patel said, “It is a very difficult situation when your shoulder is almost injured. He is committed to this team.” Pope is also the designated vice-captain of England. As such, Stuart Broad is likely to step in as Ben Stokes’ deputy, having unofficially taken up the role last summer.
Who will replace the Pope?
However, the bigger issue is who will replace the Pope. In such a situation, when England is behind 2-0, then it is necessary to win this match in order to retain the Ashes. In the top order, he will need replacement for batting at number-3.
Dan Lawrence can replace him. He is already the only spare batsman in the team. He is also in good form. He has scored 491 runs for Essex at an average of 44.63 with two centuries. Another option could be to bring back Moin Ali. Moin can be included in the team again after a finger injury. Who can bat at route number 3. Harry Brook could also be considered for the role.