Zak Crawley ruled out of The Hundred due to a broken finger; doubtful for home series against Sri Lanka - Reports
England opening batter Zak Crawley has been ruled out of The Hundred Men's Competition 2024 after sustaining a blow to his finger during the third Test against the West Indies at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Crawley suffered the injury while fielding at slips during the visitors' second innings. He was rushed to the hospital for an X-ray which revealed a fracture. The full extent of the injury is yet to be revealed, but according to a report by The Telegraph, the medical team will confirm this week if he will require surgery.
In his absence, skipper Ben Stokes opened the innings alongside Ben Duckett. The duo easily chased the 87-run target in just 7.2 overs, as England won the match by 10 wickets and swept the series 3-0.
The injury forces Crawley to miss out on the 2024 edition of The Hundred for the London Spirit. The franchise have already named Keaton Jennings as a replacement. The left-handed opening batter is also a serious candidate to replace Crawley at the top of the order for the upcoming Sri Lanka series.
Another approach being considered by England is promoting Dan Lawrence to the top. The right-handed batter has largely served as a backup candidate in the Bazball era. He was on standby for the second Test at Trent Bridge when Duckett was expecting the birth of his child.
The London Spirit, on the other hand, will miss Zak Crawley's services after already finding themselves languishing at the bottom of the table with twin defeats in the opening set of games.
Zak Crawley scored 97 runs in the three-match series against the West Indies
The opening batter made a stunning start to the home season by scoring 76 runs off 89 deliveries in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies at Lord's. He did not get the chance to bat again during the contest as England secured a win by an innings and 114 runs.
Zak Crawley was dismissed for a duck in the first innings at Trent Bridge and was run out after scoring three runs in the second. He made a positive start in the third Test but was dismissed for 18 runs off 13 balls and his injury prevented him from batting again.
As England completed a whitewash, Crawley finished the series with 97 runs in four innings at an average of 24.25. England's home series against Sri Lanka, comprising three Tests, will begin from August 21 onwards.