Ollie Pope has been ruled out for up to four months after dislocating his left shoulder during last week’s third Test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl.
The injury occurred on the fourth day of the match, when Pope slid to save a boundary off the second ball of Stuart Broad’s first over of the day and left the pitch immediately.
He underwent an MRI scan in London on Wednesday and was reviewed by a consultant on Thursday. He will now have surgery on the injured shoulder in the next couple of weeks before commencing a rehabilitation programme with the Surrey and England medical teams.
The injury is a cruel recurrence for Pope, given that he injured the same shoulder while playing for Surrey last summer. He was out of action for three months on that occasion, and was unavailable for selection during England’s Ashes campaign.
It is possible, however, that Pope will not miss any Test cricket on this occasion, with England’s next engagements coming against Sri Lanka and India in early 2021, by which stage it is hoped that he will have recovered full fitness.
