Stuart Broad, England pacer is set to miss the second Test against India after tweaking his right calf during a warm-up at the Lord’s in London on Tuesday.
As per UK media reports, the 35-year-old is not able to place any weight on his right leg after the incident. He might have undergone a calf strain or Achilles tendon problem that could even rule him out of the ongoing five-match series. Stuart Broad was supposed to play his 150th Test at the Mecca of Cricket at Lords, but now his place in XI is in jeopardy.
Stuart Broad Tweaked His Right Calf In Warm Up And Will Have A Scan But Will
The pacer had taken alone wicket against India in the opening Test. Stuart Broad’s injury could open a place for Mark Wood to enter the playing XI and join the likes of James Anderson, Sam Curran, and Ollie Robinson.
“England seamer Stuart Broad has tweaked his right calf in today’s warm-up at Lord’s,” ECB said in a statement.
“He was unable to train this afternoon with the rest of the England squad. Broad will have a scan tomorrow to determine the extent of his injury.”
According to a report in ‘The Guardian’, Broad twisted his “right ankle” after he slipped “while undertaking a light warm-up jog.”
England is already missing Jofra Archer due to an injury, while all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken an indefinite break to focus on mental health. For England, Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali are in line to enter the playing XI against India. While Haseeb Hameed could replace Zak Crawley who averages just over 11 in tests, Dan Lawrence or Dominic Sibley could miss the spot for Moeen Ali who could bat in the top 3.
If Stuart Broad misses out, England could play Mark Wood in his place. The second Test begins at Lord’s on Thursday. The opening Test ended in a draw after rain washed out the final day.
Shardul Thakur Is Struggling With A Hamstring Problem And Ishant Sharma Or Ravichandran Ashwin May Replace Him
Meanwhile, reports also said there is an injury scare in the Indian camp with Shardul Thakur struggling with a hamstring problem. Shardul Thakur played the first Test as the fourth Indian pacer, and if he misses out, India could play Ravichandran Ashwin. Ishant Sharma also could enter the playing XI as Virat Kohli has confirmed that they will continue to play 4 seamers throughout the series.
Shardul Thakur took 4 scalps in the 1st Test. In the first innings, Shardul Thakur first trapped Joe Root with a full ball that came back in sharply and it was plumb in front. Three balls later, Ollie Robinson went for an ugly hoick but straight into the hands of the mid-on fielder and England was 155/8 and Shardul Thakur had suddenly two wickets in his kitty. In the second innings, he picked the wickets of Daniel Lawrence and Jos Buttler.
England Probable Playing XI
Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley/ Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley/ Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Daniel Lawrence/ Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad/ Mark Wood, James Anderson
India Probable Playing XI
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja/ Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur/ Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah