England Test vice-captain and right-handed batter, Ollie Pope suffered an injury to his right shoulder during the Lord's Test and walked off the field during Australia's first innings. Pope did bat for England in the first innings and even return to the field during Australia's second innings. Luck evaded Pope once again as the English cricketer seemed to have injured the same shoulder once again and had to walk back to the pavilion.
Despite an injured shoulder, the right-handed batter once against walked out to bat in England's second innings but couldn't make any impact with the bat. With the third Ashes Test scheduled to start on July 6 at Headingley, question mark remark on Pope's fitness and availability for the upcoming fixture.
England head coach Brendon McCullum said lauded Pope for displaying great character and mental fortitude after suffering the injury. The Three Lions coach said that the team will monitor Pope's injury and will take a call on his selection probably on the eve or on the day of the Headingley Test.
"We will check Ollie out and work it out. I was so proud of Ollie, to do what he did. He's a tough kid to bat number three and want to make an impact. He's obviously our vice-captain as well and a fantastic leader in the group, albeit at a young age," McCullum said while speaking to BBC's Test Match Special.
"We have another couple of guys we will monitor, but we have depth in our squad - that's why guys have had opportunities in the last 12 months. Whoever gets the nod will be confident they will perform and give us a good chance," McCullum added.
Meanwhile, The Baggy Greens took a commanding 2-0 lead against England after registering a fantastic 43-run victory in the recently-concluded Lord's Test. Cummins' men weathered Stokes' onslaught at the 'mecca of cricket' and doubled their lead in the series. Earlier, Australia won the Edgbaston Test by two wickets.
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