Zak Crawley out of first 2 Tests

A freak accident outside the England dressing room at the Chepauk Stadium has ruled Zak Crawley out of the first two Tests of the India series.

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 Crawley sprained the joint and led to local inflammation.

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 Crawley to No.3 for the series opener having opened the batting alongside Dom Sibley in Sri Lanka.

Crawley just scored 35 runs in his 4 innings in his recent stint in Sri Lanka – which questioned his ability to play against spin.

Ollie Pope, who has recovered from shoulder surgery and 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.