WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - FEBRUARY 24: Ollie Pope of England bats during day one of the Second Test Match between New Zealand and England at Basin Reserve on February 24, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
England vice-captain Ollie Pope has been ruled out for the last three Tests of the series after dislocating his right shoulder in the second Test of the Ashes at Lord's.
Scans on Monday confirmed that Pope would miss out on the remainder of the English summer and require surgery. Pope dislocated his shoulder in a fielding accident where he attempted to dive and stop the ball before he landed awkwardly.
Former England captain Joe Root spoke on how much Pope will be missed in England's XI.
"It's a big blow, Ollie's been phenomenal for us the last 18 months," he said
"He's stepped up as vice-captain of this team. The more responsibility we've given him, the more we've gotten out of him as a player and as a leader within the group.
"He'll be a big miss for us, he's a hell of a player and he's a great mind to have in the group as well. Ben (Stokes) gains a huge amount from having him as vice-captain."
Despite injuring himself in the first innings of the match, Pope continued to participate in the game, hitting 42 runs in his first innings but only managing three runs in the second innings.
Ollie Pope contributed 31 runs in England's first innings in the first Test then 14 runs in the second.
Dan Lawrence is currently the favourite to take the No. 3 spot for England in the third Ashes Test in Headingley beginning on July six with Australia leading 2-0.