England’s troubled tour of South Africa threatened to take a fresh turn for the worse on Thursday, with Rory Burns joining Jofra Archer as an injury doubt for the second Test.
Burns limped out of the team’s football warm-up on Thursday after injuring his left ankle, and has since been taken to hospital for a scan.
The batsman was seen landing awkwardly after taking aim at goal and received initial treatment on the field before being assisted to the dressing room for assessment.
“He seemed to have kicked the ground when attempting to strike the ball,” said an England spokesman.
The England squad has only just got over an illness that struck 11 players before, during and after the series opener in Centurion – but the bad news has continued in Cape Town.
Ben Stokes revealed in his Daily Mirror column over new year that England’s players had jokingly started to call the trip “the cursed tour”, a conclusion that is increasingly easy to agree on.
Captain Joe Root also revealed in Thursday’s pre-match press conference that Archer was awaiting the results of a scan and would remain a doubt for the second Test, though after failing to bowl in the nets for the past two days he can essentially be counted out.
“We are still waiting to hear back results-wise from his scan, then we will play it by ear. It was obviously quite disappointing to see him pull up like that,” Root said.
“Of course he will be a big loss if he is not able to play but it will also be an opportunity for someone else. I think it’s a recurring injury, something that he has had before.
“He had a little trundle after our fielding practice and seemed to be in a little bit of pain. He pulled up very sore.”
