New Delhi: England seamer Gus Atkinson is battling a hamstring injury that could rule him out of their first Test of a five-match series against India, beginning on June 20 at Leeds.
He was injured during their innings and a 45-run win in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month and missed the subsequent 3-0 ODI victory against West Indies.
The 27-year-old is the latest new-ball bowler to join the injury list after the absences of Mark Wood and Olly Stone, while Jofra Archer’s is also nursing thumb injury, reports the BBC.
In 12 Tests, Atkinson has claimed three five-wicket hauls and has become a leading figure in their pace attack after the retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
He made his debut last season and has already claimed 55 wickets, which is the most by any bowler during this period, and had initially hoped to be fit for the India series opener.
Veteran Chris Woakes is likely to play for England Lions against India A in a practice game this week following his return from an ankle injury. Brydon Carse featured in England’s three ODIs against West Indies after shaking off a foot injury.
Sam Cook, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue has emerged as potential candidates to replace Atkinson and they could feature for the Lions squad against India A.
Earlier, Test skipper Ben Stokes had considered to play in the four-day tour game that begins on Friday but is unlikely to take the field as England prepare to announce their squad within the next week.
Reports suggest all-rounder Jacob Bethell would be recalled after missing the Zimbabwe Test.
England and India begin a new cycle of the World Test Championship through the five-match series.
After the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India would field a relatively younger team under new skipper Shubman Gill.
Gus Atkinson was injured during England’s innings and a 45-run win in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month and missed their subsequent 3-0 ODI victory against West Indies. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
