Joe Root, Brendon McCullum for England. Image Credits: AFP
Joe Root has taken the helm as England captain, and already they have certain headaches to address. Emilio Gay, the English batter who was added to the 16-man squad of the England Test team for the Pakistan series, has now been added to the long list of injury concerns that the Three Lions have been struggling with.
Gay, who impressed in the County Division Two Cricket and in the New Zealand Test series as well, was ruled out after sustaining a severe injury to his shoulder.
Emilio Gay Suffers Scary Shoulder Injury Ahead Of Pakistan Series
Emilio, while representing Durham and playing for Middlesex in the MetroBank One-Day Cup, hurt his shoulder while batting. The cricketer tried to play a picture-perfect on-drive while facing England quick Toby Roland-Jones. As he completed the drive and it resulted in a boundary, he was seen immediately clutching his right shoulder in severe pain.
Earlier in the game, while facing Naavya Sharma, Emilio Gay had visible pain in his shoulder; however, he continued the game. After surviving another delivery, Gay was again troubled by discomfort in his shoulder. The Durham physio then rushed out to assess him, but the batter decided he could not continue and walked off retired hurt on nine, with frustration as he made his way back to the pavilion.
Later, Emilio contributed 44 runs before getting dismissed by Henry Brookes. Nevertheless, Gay's pain will not be a pleasant sight for the selectors, especially ahead of the Pakistan Test series that starts on August 19.
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Why Emilio Gay’s Injury Could Hurt England?
The 26-year-old had his debut season against New Zealand, where he impressed as an opener alongside Ben Duckett, replacing Zak Crawley, with some exceptional knocks in his bag. He stood out as one of the primary pillars for England with only 3 international games in Whites.
Ruling Gay out could be a serious concern for England since replacing him would not be easy for the Stephen Fleming-led management. As of the most recent update of Emilio Gay’s injury, the batter was seen only able to stretch the shoulder upwards and outwards under instruction from the physio.
Can England Practically Replace Gay for the ENG vs PAK Test Series?
To be practical, the Three Lions can replace Emilio from within the squad and outside the squad as well by calling up a fresh name. Apparently, from the squad, Ollie Pope is the most practical option as an opening cover.
Pope, however have only appeared as an opener in one Test against Pakistan, where he was dismissed for a duck. Another option could be calling up Jamie Smith to open, but in that case Ollie Pope would have to come down at 7 or would have to give the gloves to Jordan Cox as an opener.
Outside the squad, while drafting another opener in place of Emilio Gay, promising youngsters like James Rew are highly rated, they are better suited to middle-order roles than opening in Test cricket.
Rehan Ahmed has some experience at the top but is more naturally a No. 3. Uncapped openers Ben McKinney and Glamorgan's Asa Tribe are also in contention.
England could also revisit experienced options, with Dom Sibley's consistent form for Surrey making a strong case. Zak Crawley remains another possibility despite a difficult County Championship campaign with Kent this season.
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