Get Newsletter
Notification products, updates
×
×Notification products, updates
August 27, 2024
England has made one change to their XI for the upcoming Test at Lord’s, bringing in fast bowler Olly Stone to replace Mark Wood. Wood, who reached speeds of 97mph (156kph) against the West Indies last month, has been sidelined with a thigh injury sustained in the first Test against Sri Lanka and will miss the rest of the series. Stone, who has been out of action due to injuries over the past few years, will step in as the team’s main fast bowler. At 30, Stone has only played three Tests but has been a consistent presence in England squads when fit. After a hamstring injury limited his play last season, he has been active this summer with 28 appearances for Nottinghamshire and London Spirit, marking his busiest season yet.
He will have a similar role in the side to Wood, being asked to bowl as fast as he can in short spells. “It’s been pretty frightening… the way he’s come in and bowled this summer is very exciting,” Stone said. “Hopefully, I can go out there and try to touch his speeds. He’s obviously up there with the fastest in the world so I’m not sure if I’ll match it – but I’ll give it a good shot.”
Stone made his Test debut at Lord’s in 2019, but then had back surgery in the adjacent Wellington Hospital in 2021, having two screws inserted. “It’s the best thing I ever went in for,” he said. “Thankfully – touch wood – so far, I’ve had no recurrences with that… I’ll keep coming back for Test cricket until my body tells me otherwise.
“I just love the feeling of coming off after a long four or five days, on the back of a hard-fought win. It’s more than just skill at times: it’s your character, and the way you are out there as a team for those four or five days. It’s something that white-ball cricket can’t give you. I just love the slog of that hard graft, going out there and providing your team with something different to help you try to win the game.”
“I’ve always said that one of the reasons I went down certain surgical routes to have my back sorted was so that I could go out and play Test cricket again. It’s never been in my mind to give that up. If my body then gave up on me, maybe I’d have to step away. But thankfully, so far, I’ve found a way and I can be back out there in an England shirt.”
Olly Stone is treating this week’s Test as a “second debut,” reflecting his hope for a fresh start free from injuries. Stone has faced a series of setbacks throughout his career, including four stress fractures in his back, with two occurring in just seven months in 2019. His last injury came during his previous Test match against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 2021.
In 2016, Stone tore his anterior cruciate ligament while celebrating a wicket in a T20 match, which kept him out for 13 months. In 2022, he broke a finger while trying to return from a back operation, needing additional surgery and missing six more weeks. As he prepares for his 53rd first-class match, Stone, who will turn 31 in October, is hopeful for a healthy and successful period ahead.
“Although I’ve had these injuries, I feel as good as ever and ready to keep going for a few more years.
“It’s been a long time and [Lord’s is] a special place to play regardless of the situation. So to come back and play, I just want to go out there and enjoy it, play with a smile on my face and hopefully the wickets will come.”
Stone also has the opportunity to prove himself as a strong long-term option for the No. 8 position. This summer has been his best yet, with 315 runs in Division One at an average of 35.00. He has scored three half-centuries, including a career-best 90 against Somerset in June.
“If I can go out there and put a few runs on the board and add to a good score you never quite know,” Stone said, on the prospect of his securing a long-term place in the XI with his batting. “County cricket and Test cricket can be quite different so that’ll test me.
“I guess maybe my motivation at the start of the year was the longer I bat, the less I bowl. Whether that was I put a few shots away maybe initially, and then once I get in, start to, not necessarily play loads of shots, but be a bit more positive.”
This season, Stone has taken 11 Championship wickets for Nottinghamshire at an average of 52.63. Despite these numbers, England has chosen players based on their overall skills rather than just statistics. This approach also influenced the selection of Josh Hull as cover for Mark Wood. National selector Luke Wright suggested that if Chris Woakes had been injured instead of Wood, Sam Cook would have been added to the squad.
“Sam has been very aware of how we’re looking to balance our pace attack, and he’s close,” Wright said. “I feel for Sam. He’s an incredible bowler, and you’re never that far away. If it had maybe been Woakesy, or a different [injured bowler], then it might bring him into it more.
“But once we lost Woody, we wanted to try to keep that pace into it and have that variety in attack, and obviously that’s where having a big 6ft 7in left-armer that we could bring in, that’s why he got the nod ahead of him. But look, for Sam, he’s certainly on the radar. He’s missed out this time, but it doesn’t mean he does down the line.”
England’s XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka is:
Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for The Wicket Insider, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
Stay Tuned With Updates
