Share

Ball injury adds to England bowling concerns

London - Paceman Jake Ball piled on the problems for England's bowling attack on Thursday when he was ruled out of the first Test with South Africa because of a knee strain.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury playing for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship this week and joins fellow seamers Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes on the sidelines ahead of next week's first Test against the Proteas.

Ball's injury is also a huge blow to his county's hopes of beating Surrey in Saturday's One-Day Cup final at Lord's.

"He went for a scan yesterday (Wednesday) to assess the damage and was unable to take to the field when the third day of the day-night match resumed after a rain delay," read a Nottinghamshire statement.

"Ball is set to miss the next two weeks of action, which will also rule him out of the reckoning for the start of the Test series against South Africa, which starts on July 6 at Lord's."

Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores said it was doubly disappointing for Ball, who missed the 2013 One-Day Cup final as well.

"Jake is naturally very, very disappointed to miss out on the final, having previously been made available to play by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), particularly after missing out on selection when Notts beat Glamorgan at Lord's in 2013," said Moores.

"He's given his all in this competition when he's been available to us, and we'll miss him for what will be a really tough game against Surrey.

"Jake is a very strong character and I'm sure he'll bounce back from this. I know he'll be wanting us to beat Surrey as much as anybody."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2250 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE