England vice-captain Ollie Pope ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series
England vice-captain Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Ashes series against Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Tuesday, July 4.
Pope dislocated his right shoulder while fielding during the second Test at Lord's last week, which the home side lost by 43 runs.
Scans revealed that the right-handed batter will have to undergo surgery, which will keep him out of action for the rest of the summer.
"Scans in London on Monday revealed the full extent of the injury and he will miss the rest of the summer campaign and will require surgery," ECB said in a statement.
After his surgery, Pope will work with the national team and Surrey's medical unit for rehabilitation.
"He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation," the statement added.
The English camp, meanwhile, has decided not to call any replacements for Ollie Pope ahead of the third Test scheduled to be played at Headingley from July 6 onwards.
Pope, incidentally, had a very ordinary outing in the first two matches of the Ashes series. He could muster only 90 runs in four innings at a paltry average of 22.50. His highest score of 42 came in the first innings of the Lord's Test.
England trail 0-2 in the ongoing Ashes 2023
England had a devastating start to their Ashes campaign, losing the first two games, raising questions on the 'Bazball' approach.
Ben Stokes and Co. suffered a heartbreaking two-wicket defeat in the first Test at Edgbaston. They were in the pole position for most of the game but an unbeaten 55-run partnership between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon gave the Aussies a massive win.
However, it was a different story in the recently concluded Test at Lord's. Australia dominated the game until the fifth day when Stokes unleashed one of his best Test innings. Despite his breathtaking 155-run knock, the home side fell 43 runs short of the target.
England will look to pull things back and keep the five-match series, with the third Test scheduled to start in Headingley on Thursday, July 6.