Olly Stone suffers injury during County Championship; set to undergo scans ahead of The AshesÂ
England pacer Olly Stone sustained a hamstring injury during the drawn contest between Nottinghamshire and Lancashire in the 2023 County Championship. The right arm pacer, who is in consideration for the Ashes squad, hobbled off the field after sustaining the injury.
Stone returned to bat to help Notinghamshire salvage a draw with one wicket to spare. He warded off four deliveries to help his side draw the contest, but will now undergo scans to assess the extent of his injury. The scan is likely to be conducted in a few days time when the inflammation reduces.
Stone has not had much luck with injuries over the course of his career. The pacer has already sustained four stress fractures in the past and made his most recent comeback in 2022, predominantly playing white-ball cricket since. The last of his three Test appearances came in June 2021 against the New Zealand at home.
During England's tour of New Zealand a few months back, Stone said:
"It's been encouraging with how much cricket I've had under my belt this winter and come through it. "I'm feeling fit and strong and just raring to get stuck in now. I've looked at things in the past, injuries got in the way and I've been quite disappointed so I try not to look too far ahead."
He continued:
"But everyone knows how big a summer it is and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't on the radar."
The pacer has taken 10 wickets from his three Test match appearances at an average of 19.40.
Ben Stokes wants eight functioning seamers including Stone to share the load
England are keen on retaining the Ashes after the forgettable 4-0 drubbing in Australia in 2021-22. England Test skipper Ben Stokes has already made his case for fast and flat wickets, as the hosts want a total of eight seamers in the squad for rotation across the five Tests.
The likes of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad are a certainty. For express pace, Stokes has options like Olly Stone, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in the list.
The 2023 Ashes will kickstart from June 16 onwards at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Australia are first scheduled to play the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India from June 7, and have already announced their squad for the tour of England.
Will Olly Stone be fit in time for the 2023 Ashes? Let us know what you think.