India vs England 2021: Zak Crawley Ruled Out Of First 2 Tests With Wrist Injury

Feb 4, 2021 at 2:15 PM

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India vs England 2021: Zak Crawley Ruled Out Of First 2 Tests With Wrist Injury

Zak Crawley was ruled out of the first two Tests of the India series after a freak accident outside the visitors’ dressing room at the MA Chidambaram Stadium saw him injuring his wrist in the process.

The England top-order batsman jarred his right wrist after slipping on the marble floor leaving the dressing rooms onto the field of play, according to an ECB release. Scans have since confirmed that Zak Crawley sprained the joint and led to local inflammation.

Zak Crawley
Zak Crawley. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Zak Crawley’s Injury Will Force Rethink Of England’s Batting Combination

Zak Crawley’s injury will force a rethink of the visitors’ combination going into the first of the two Chennai Tests. The return of Rory Burns from paternity leave would have pushed Zak Crawley to No.3 for the series opener having opened the batting alongside Dom Sibley in Sri Lanka. There were, however, concerns around Zak Crawley’s play against spin after the 23-year-old aggregated only 35 runs across four innings in Sri Lanka averaging a meagre 8.75.

Dom Sibley
Dom Sibley. Credits: Twitter

Jonny Bairstow who amassed 139 runs in 2 Tests averaging 46.33 against Sri Lanka will return to the England squad after conclusion of 1st Test. England had recalled Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Rory Burns, all of whom have been rested for the ongoing series in Sri Lanka.

Joe Root was leading run-getter with 426 runs averaging 106.5 in 2 Tests against Sri Lanka while Jos Buttler amassed 131 runs averaging 65.5. The latter will return home after 1st Test against India concludes. Daniel Lawrence totaled 99 runs averaging 33 while Dominic Sibley scored 62 runs averaging 20.67.

Ollie Pope Likely To Return In Middle Order With Daniel Lawrence And Moeen Ali

Ollie Pope, who has recovered from shoulder surgery and was subsequently added to the squad, is likely to return to the middle-order with Daniel Lawrence holding on to his place after a promising debut in Sri Lanka. Moeen Ali, who missed the Tests in Sri Lanka after contracting COVID, will shore up the middle-order as well as the spin unit.

Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali. Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Captain Joe Root scored a double-century in the first Test against Sri Lanka while Dan Lawrence (73 & 21*) and Jonny Bairstow (47 & 35*) played crucial supported innings in both the innings of the 1st Test. Also, off-spinner Dom Bess (5/30 & 3/100) and left-arm spinner Jack Leach (1/55 & 5/122) impressed in bowling as both of them claimed one five-wicket haul each in England’s first Test victory.

In the 2nd Test, Joe Root scored 186 as Angelo Matthews 110 and Niroshan Dickwella’s 92 went in vain. Jos Buttler scored 55 and 46* as England won by 6 wickets. In the first Test, England won by 7 wickets as Joe Root scored 228 and Daniel Lawrence scored 73.

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