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Ollie Pope (Source: Twitter)
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Tuesday, July 4, that England vice-captain Ollie Pope will miss the balance of the current Ashes series against Australia.
During the second Test, which England lost by 43 runs and was played at Lord's last week, Pope dislocated his right shoulder during fielding. The right-handed player is out for the remainder of the summer due to surgery, which was discovered through scans. Prior to the third Test, which will begin on July 6 at Headingley, the English team has chosen not to put forward a backup for Ollie Pope.
Ollie Pope had surgery on his left shoulder when he dislocated it twice in the third Test versus Pakistan in August 2020, causing him to miss three months during the 2019 season.
England Cricket Board’s statement on Ollie Pope’s shoulder injury
Interestingly, Ollie Pope performed quite poorly in the first two games of the Ashes series. In four innings, he could only generate 90 runs at a pitiful average of 22.50. In the opening frame of the Lord's Test, he recorded his highest score of 42.
The first two matches of England's Ashes series were heartbreaking losses, casting doubt on the 'Bazball' strategy. In the opening Test at Edgbaston, Ben Stokes and company were defeated heartbreakingly by two wickets. Despite being in the lead for the whole of the match, the Australians were victorious thanks to an unbroken 55-run partnership involving Pat Cummins as well as Nathan Lyon.
The recently finished Test at the Lord's Cricket Ground, though, was a different story. Up until the fifth day, when Stokes played perhaps his best Test innings, Australia had the upper hand. Although he scored an astounding 155 runs, the home team was 43 runs shy of the mark. With the third Test set to begin in Headingley on Thursday, July 6, England will want to slow things down and keep themselves alive in the five-match series. Australia just needs a draw/win in their final three games of the series to retain the famous Ashes urn.