ENG vs PAK | Ollie Pope sidelined for four months with dislocated shoulder

In what has come as devastating news for both Ollie Pope and England, the 22-year-old stalwart from Surrey has been ruled out of action for the next four months after dislocating his shoulder in the third Test versus Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl. Pope, who featured in all six of England’s Tests during their home summer, dislocated his shoulder on Day 4 of the final Test versus Pakistan when he put in a full-stretched dive in an attempt to save the ball from going to the boundary. 

The youngster was successful in saving one run, but that came at a cost as he immediately left the field in pain. MRI scans later revealed that Pope had indeed dislocated his shoulder and, as a result, he will now have to undergo surgery before starting rehabilitation programmes with both the Surrey and English medical teams. 

Pope’s misfortune with his shoulder continues as it was only last year that he sustained a dislocated shoulder and missed a chunk of the domestic season in order to heal his body. The youngster then underwent surgery and came back in emphatic fashion and earnt a recall in the English Test side, after which he sealed his place in the team through exemplary performances away in South Africa.

The English camp will be hoping for a similar prolific return this time around as in under five months’ time, Joe Root’s men are slated to play a total of no less than eight Tests in the sub-continent, three against Sri Lanka and five against India.