LONDON: Paceman
Ollie Robinson
has been ruled out of
England
's first Test against the
West Indies
in Antigua after suffering a back spasm, with uncapped seamer Saqib Mahmood brought into the squad.
Robinson pulled up midway through an over during a warm-up match against a
Cricket
West Indies President's XI and was unable to take part in training on Sunday.
England were already unlikely to gamble on the 28-year-old's fitness but the incident settled the issue, allowing Mahmood to take his spot in a 12-man group.
The tourists must now decide whether to hand the Lancashire quick his Test debut on Tuesday in an all-seam attack or opt for the variety of Jack Leach's left-arm spin.
Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton are likely to fill the other seam berths after record wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad were controversially dropped for the tour.
"Ollie is a talented bowler -- naturally he'll be a big miss," Woakes said in comments carried by the BBC.
"He's shown in his short Test career so far that he's certainly got the skills and the ability to do good things in the format. At the same time, it gives people opportunities."
The final XI will be confirmed at the toss at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
England squad: Joe Root (captain), Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Get real-time updates on Budget 2025 and Income Tax Slabs on Times of India. Check out the latest income tax slabs FY 2025-26.
Start a Conversation
Post comment