Ollie Pope ruled out of action until the beginning of the 1st England-India Tests due to a thigh injury

Ollie Pope endured a thigh muscle injury while playing for Surrey against Kent. England’s middle-order player Ollie Pope endured an injury while playing in the Vitality Blast for Surrey against Kent. He persevered through an injury in the left thigh muscles on July 02 and in the most recent turn of events, he has been ruled out of the action until England’s high profile Test series. England’s Test series against India is good to start on August 04. 

It must be noticed that India’s Test series against England remains an all-important significance and Pope wouldn’t want to miss on the same. Nonetheless, the fitness and rehabilitation team of England and Surrey is focused on working for the player’s betterment and they aim that he would be prepared for the first Test against Virat Kohli and his squad. 

Pope was in great touch in the T20 Blast tournament as he recorded two half-centuries in his last five thumps. The 23-year-old scored an unbeaten 52 against Middlesex and followed it up with a 60-run thump against Glamorgan. 

The England Cricket Board (ECB) affirmed Ollie Pope’s injury with the accompanying statement: 

“Pope has been ruled out until England’s LV Insurance Test Series against India in the wake of suffering a left thigh muscle injury. The ECB and Surrey fitness teams will cooperate to deliver Pope’s recovery with a focus for him to be able to return for the first Test against India,” a statement by ECB read. 

It must be taken into consideration that Pope has not been able to penetrate the 35-run mark in his last 15 Test innings yet it was reported that he was expecting to get his crew squad in the Test team. He was cheerful for his squad as he has been seen as quite possibly the most capable young person in England’s first-class setup. 

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Pope was scheduled to play three matches for the Welsh Fire in The Hundred 2021. In any case, it appears he will be unavailable for the games due to his thigh injury. The tournament has been best with withdrawals with a host of overseas players pulling out due to the congested international schedule and complications around travel in the hour of Covid. 

One might say that his absence may open an entryway for another talented hitter Dawid Malan who has been sparkling alright for England in the limited-overs format. Another batsman who could be profited can be Dan Lawrence yet it actually remains to be seen if Pope can really make it to the first Test against India. The 23-year-old’s injury may likewise close his chances of utilizing trade The Hundred-England’s new 100-ball format game which is good to start off this year. 

Will Ollie Pope’s injury open the entryways for Dawid Malan’s return to the England Test squad? 

While Ollie Pope is expected to recover in time for the Test series against India, the home side would prefer to have a backup alternative available in the crew. Pope has predominantly played at the number five and number six positions in Tests. 

In the event that Pope misses out on this major opportunity, Dawid Malan could get back to the Test team. The left-gave batsman recently scored a match-winning fifty against Pakistan on his return to the ODI side. Malan has played 15 Tests for England, however, his last appearance in the Test format came back in 2018. 

Last month, Malan played a superb knock of 199 runs for Yorkshire in a county game against Sussex. Since he has enormous first-class experience under his belt, the selectors could consider him for the series against India.