England are anxiously waiting for Olly Stone’s scan results after the Ashes hopeful hobbled off the field, part way through an over, with a hamstring injury during Nottinghamshire’s championship fixture against Lancashire at Trent Bridge on Saturday. Notts will not know the full extent of the injury until Stone has a scan at the conclusion of the match, but he was said to be hobbling around the dressing room on crutches.
Stone was name-checked by the England and Wales Cricket Board managing director, Rob Key, as an important bowler for the Ashes series starting next month, his ability to hit speeds of 90mph a huge asset for the hosts. Ben Stokes has talked of wanting eight fit pace bowlers at his disposal, all of whom can be rotated during the five‑Test series, which is being squeezed into six weeks.
Stone, a bowler of huge promise, has endured a calamitous run of injuries during a first-class career that has spanned 10 years but only 45 matches, including four stress fractures, the last leading to an operation during which the 29‑year‑old had two metal screws inserted in his spine. His other injuries include damaging his cartilage after celebrating a wicket and a broken finger while trying to regain fitness last summer in the Warwickshire second XI.
Stone performed well with England’s white-ball squads during the winter and toured New Zealand with the Test side, although he did not make an appearance. Before the summer he spoke with enthusiasm about the chance of making even a solitary Ashes appearance to add to his three previous Tests. “It’s been encouraging with how much cricket I’ve had this winter and come through it,” he said. “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. But everyone knows how big a summer it is and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t on the radar.”
