Ashes heartbreak for Roland-Jones
Roland-Jones to miss Ashes
England suffered another ashes injury blow yesterday when Toby Roland- Jones, one of their success stories of the summer, was ruled out with a stress fracture of the back.
a second scan on a problem that forced Roland- Jones out of Middlesex’s victory over lancashire this week diagnosed an injury that almost certainly ends his chances of an ashes debut at 29.
It is a cruel blow for Roland- Jones, who took 17 wickets in his first four Tests and was preferred to Chris Woakes for the final match of the summer against West Indies at lord’s.
It follows the news lancashire opener Haseeb Hameed suffered a fractured finger in the same Championship on match at lord’s on Thursday, which surely wrecks his outside hopes of forcing his way into the ashes squad.
The injury to Roland- Jones may open the door to a return for Steven Finn,, who took eight for 79 as Middlesex enhanced their chances of first division survival with victory over lancashire.
The selectors have much to ponder when they meet on Tuesday before announcing the squad on Wednesday. They will be hoping Mark Wood is fit to play for durham against Worcestershire on Monday after his heel injury.
Wood has the X-factor England need in australia, but even though the chronic problem with his left ankle now appears to have been overcome, the paceman’s injury worries will not go away.
Two others under consideration by England are alex Hales and Jos Buttler, with one- day captain Eoin Morgan backing his stars to prove white-ball success can lead to Test recognition.
Morgan hopes the limited- overs success of Hales and Buttler will be recognised when England reveal their ashes hand. Hales, a more mature character than when he last played Test cricket, is enjoying the season of his life, while Buttler is such a gifted player that it should be difficult for England to leave him out of any side. Both players have a ‘ Plan B’, with Buttler due to head to the Bangladesh Premier league and Hales flying to South africa to play for Stellenbosch, but Morgan hopes they will have to rip up those contracts and head to australia. ‘I’d likel to see them play in an ashes series,’ said Morgan after both players had been denied another chance to impress the selectors by rain that washed out the second one-day international at Trent Bridge. ‘ashes series and World Cups are the pinnacles of our careers so to see guys playing in that and doing well would boost their confidence massively. ‘They have huge ability in all forms of the game and if an opportunity in the ashes presented itself I’d say take that rather than a T20 league every time.’ Hales has reinvented himself in the middle order for nottinghamshire since losing his Test place last year. ‘When you get dropped from any team, there are a lot of questions you ask yourself, and a lot of questions asked of you by people outside our bubble,’ said Morgan. ‘So coming back from that shows huge character, and to show the form he has shown has been incredible.’ Hales and Buttler remain outsiders for the ashes squad, with England likely to take Surrey’s Ben Foakes as second keeper ahead of Buttler and Yorkshire captain gary Ballance seemingly ahead of Hales in the queue. But both will have another opportunity in tomorrow’s third 50-over game against West Indies at Bristol.