Zak Crawley ruled out of first two Tests with wrist injury

England batsman Zak Crawley has been ruled out of the first two Tests of the four-match series against India with a wrist injury.

The 23-year-old picked up the injury during England’s practice in Chennai on Tuesday. He slipped on the marble floor while leaving the dressing room onto the field, thus jarring his right wrist.

An official ECB statement read:

“Scan results have confirmed that Crawley has jarred his right wrist, which has sprained the joint and led to local inflammation.”

Zak Crawley missed Wednesday’s training session, owing to the freak injury. The England medical team will continue to assess his progress over the next few weeks. The news comes just a day before the first India-England Test in Chennai.

Zak Crawley struggled for runs in Sri Lanka

In the absence of Rory Burns, Zak Crawley opened the innings for England in the two Tests against Sri Lanka. But he endured a miserable tour.

The right-handed batsman was dismissed for 9 and 8 in the first Test before getting out for 5 and 13 in the second. He never looked in any sort of control during his time at the crease.

In 10 Test matches, Zak Crawley has scored 616 runs at an average of 38.50. He has one hundred and three fifties to his name. The 23-year-old grabbed the headlines when he made 267 against Pakistan at Southampton in August 2020. However, he hasn’t displayed that kind of form since.

Zak Crawley’s absence could open the door for Ollie Pope to feature in the playing XI. The middle-order batsman was added to the England squad ahead of the first Test in Chennai.

Pope suffered a dislocated shoulder, which required surgery, while fielding against Pakistan in the final Test of the home series in August 2020. All-rounder Moeen Ali is another option the visitors can explore in Chennai.