Ollie Pope has left the field with a shoulder injury for the second time in the Lord’s Ashes Test against Australia, once again hurting himself while diving to stop a ball.
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In the 18th over of the innings, Usman Khawaja clipped Ollie Robinson to Pope at mid-on, where he appeared to jar his shoulder as he misfielded the ball. Upon getting up, he immediately jogged from the field, with Rehan Ahmed in his place as a substitute fielder since then. England are yet to provide an update.
Pope sent a wave of concern through the England camp when he clutched his shoulder immediately after diving to field a ball in the first innings. He immediately left the field of play and did not return for the remainder of the innings, but the blow was not a serious one. Pope was not sent to hospital for scans, instead icing the shoulder in the dressing room. He was able to come out to bat at No.3 and showed no ill-effects during his innings.
However, the apparent reoccurrence will worry England, and some have questioned why he was fielding at all. Given that the injury was an external one, he could have stayed off the field as a precautionary measure and still batted at his usual spot at No.3. Pope’s leadership status in the England team may have been a factor, given he was named as vice-captain ahead of the series.
Pope’s career has been hampered by serious shoulder injuries in the past, with two dislocations leading to lengthy absences. However, those two knocks were to his left shoulder, with Pope’s right shoulder the issue at Lord’s.
At the time of writing, Australia are 79-1, leading England by 170 and in pole position to establish a 2-0 lead in the series heading into the third Test at Headingley.
