In a major setback for England Team, Ollie Pope won’t be able to compete in the Ashes 2023 series as a result of a shoulder injury that occurred after the second Test.
On Tuesday, the England Cricket Board announced Pope’s withdrawal for the remainder of the Ashes tour and revealed that the batsman will need surgery and an extended recovery time.
Due to the severity of the damage and the extent of Pope’s injury, which was found through scans done in London, he was forced to withdraw from the current campaign. To speed up his recovery, the young player will work closely with the medical teams from Surrey and both England.
On the first day of the Lord’s Test, when Pope made a brave diving attempt to save the ball, he initially hurt his shoulder. Pope’s injury was unfortunately made worse on day three when the umpires demanded that he continue after batting in England’s first innings.
Ashes 2023: Ollie Pope would stay away from action for the entire summer
In order to use a substitute fielder when a player is temporarily off the field, sources indicate that England was considering moving Pope down to the number 7 spot in the batting order. But the referees did not present this possibility, leaving England disappointed and their spin bowling coach, Jeetan Patel, frustrated with the choice.
Patel stated, “It’s a pretty tough situation when you nearly injured your shoulder, and you’re told it was an external injury. It was always going to happen. He’s so committed to this team. He was always going to fall on something. And now he’s back off.”
He further said, “It’s a little messy if I’m being honest with you. We’re probably as frustrated as everyone else that was out there that saw what happened, and he’s probably more angry at the situation than anything else.”
For the third Ashes Test, which gets started at Headingley on Thursday, England won’t be calling up a replacement. Ollie Pope’s unavailability certainly creates a void in the batting order, demanding a lineup change as the team attempts to win back the Ashes.
For England to bounce back from this setback and strive for the win in their pursuit of Ashes glory, the team of England must come together and find strength in unity as they prepare for the third Test against their Australian rivals.
Also read, Ollie Robinson Opens On Jonny Bairstow’s Dismissal
