The English fast bowler Olly Stone has been ruled out for the upcoming England series against Zimbabwe and India. He had undergone right knee surgery that will require 14 weeks of rehabilitation.
The last time he played for England was in September last year when they faced a Sri Lankan challenge. After that, he was on the team when they played against Pakistan and New Zealand. However, he did not feature in the XI in both series.
During the pre-season of Nottinghamshire, he experienced increasing discomfort in his right knee. The scan concluded that he would need surgery to fix it. After getting the surgery done, he has been working closely with the medical teams of ECB and Nottinghamshire for a speedy recovery process.
Due to their ordeal, he is set to miss six Test matches this summer, beginning with Zimbabwe’s one-off fixture in Trent Bridge. He will also miss out on the five Tests scheduled with India this summer. He will recover from the injury and regain full fitness by August. At that time, he was set to feature within the Hundred with the London Spirit.
It is a setback for Stone as his knee has been plaguing him for years now. His injury also increased the pressure on the pace bowlers from England. The English season is about to start and they need reliable and face bowlers for their team. Mark Wood is already out of the team due to knee surgery and now Stone is out too. Brydon Carse is also struggling with a long-term toe injury as well. The current English Captain Ben Stokes is also rehabilitating from a hamstring injury. However, he might be declared fit by the Zimbabwe Test.
