As play resumed after a rain-affected Day 1 of the fourth Ashes Test, England could not keep up with the same momentum and intensity. While Australia were sitting at the score of 126/1 at the end of the first day, fans expected England to disrupt their vulnerable middle-order.
Jack Leach created an opportunity off his bowling, but unfortunately a dropped catch at the first slip from their captain Joe Root offered Usman Khawaja another chance as he scored a vital century in his comeback Test match.
England's woes did not end here as their key player Ben Stokes suffered a side injury in the very next over. In a bid to disturb the Aussie batters, Stokes resorted to short bowling. The all-rounder could not provide a breakthrough to his side but instead he damaged the left side of his body.
Unfortunately, Stokes walked back to the dressing room to treat his injury and could not complete his 14th over. Mark Wood was called upon to bowl the last ball of the over. Stokes came back after the lunch session and fielded in the slips but did not bowl again in the day.
The Star all-rounder appears almost certain not to bowl again in the Fourth Ashes Test and could be a doubt for the final game, having suffered a concerning injury to his left side.
Stokes' condition will be assessed before the start of Day 3. Giving an update on his teammate's injury, Stuart Broad informed that Stokes is undergoing treatment at the moment.
"He’s one of the toughest blokes I’ve ever met, the toughest cricketer I’ve ever met. For him to go off and not bowl… it’s obviously sore. But he’s icing it at the moment. We’ve no information on what’s happened in his side," Broad was quoted as saying.
"Hopefully we give him a lot of rest tomorrow. 12-24 hours in cricket is quite a long time. It gives the body a lot of time to heal. We’ll wait and see. He stayed on the field so he could bat in his usual position. He’s a tough character. He’ll be out there if it’s not torn to shreds. We as England fans and teammates hope it’s not as bad as him not bowling again on this trip." Broad added.