Zak Crawley to miss first two India vs England Tests with right wrist injury suffered in training fall
Written by News on 04/02/2021
England top-order batsman Zak Crawley has been ruled out of the first two Tests against India with a wrist injury sustained after slipping over at training.
The Kent player sustained the injury during England’s practice in Chennai on Tuesday when he slipped on the marble floor leaving the dressing rooms onto the field of play.
A scan has subsequently shown Crawley jarred his right wrist, which has sprained the joint and led to local inflammation.
Crawley was in line to drop down to No 3 for the series-opener in Chennai, having opened the batting alongside Dom Sibley during England’s 2-0 Test series victory in Sri Lanka last month.
Crawley scored 267 against Pakistan from the No 3 spot last summer but averaged only 8.75 opening the batting in Sri Lanka with a top-score of 13.
The England and Wales Cricket Board added in a statement on the eve of the first Test that England’s medical team “will continue to assess his progress over the next few weeks”.
The third match of the four-Test series – due to begin on February 24 – will be a day-night Test in the newly-built Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the series to conclude from March 4.
Crawley’s absence will prompt a rethink of England’s batting order at the Chepauk Stadium, with the tourists targeting a sixth successive Test victory.
England announced Ollie Pope is available for the series opener after proving his return to fitness following a dislocated shoulder sustained while fielding in England’s final Test against Pakistan in August.
India are unbeaten on home soil in Tests since 2012, when Sir Alastair Cook’s England side completed a 2-1 series win.
England squad for first India Test: Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
Follow over-by-over commentary of the first Test in Chennai from 4am on Friday on Sky Sports’ digital platforms.
(c) Sky Sports 2021: Zak Crawley to miss first two India vs England Tests with right wrist injury suffered in training fall
