Knee injury rules out Jake Ball from Nott’s final and 1st Test against SA

English fast bowler Jake Ball has been ruled out of action from the 1st Test against South Africa at Lord’s which starts on July 6. The tall fast bowler will also not appear for his county Nottinghamshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup final scheduled for this Saturday at Lord’s against Surrey.

Scan reveals damage to right knee

The 26-year old felt pain in his right knee after delivering just 13 deliveries in the second innings of Nottinghamshire’s County Championship game against Kent at Trent Bridge. The incident happened on Tuesday and prompted Ball to leave the field immediately in order to undergo a precautionary scan. He did not take the field after that and will not take further part on the final day of play on Thursday.

The scan showed considerable damage on the knee which will take at least 2 weeks to recover. In a young international career, Ball has shown promise with his fast bowling which made him a part of England’s squad for the Champions Trophy. In 14 ODIs, the fast bowler has taken 20 wickets and is widely looked at as the one for future. He has already made 3 Test appearances which were unsuccessful as he could take just 2 wickets after bowling tirelessly for 76 overs collectively.

Broad an unlikely starter for Lord’s too

Ball joins fellow Notts and England fast bowler Stuart Broad in the injury list which is making England fret. Broad injured his heel while playing for his county side Notts against Leicestershire last week and is a doubtful starter for the Lord’s Test as well. Though England have a number of young fast bowlers coming through the ranks, the fast bowling department might just be a little thin on experience if Broad fails to recover in time for the game in London.

South Africa has already lost both the T20 as well as the ODI series against England. Their Champions Trophy performance was also below par making this long England tour a forgettable experience. They have the ability to bounce back in the Test series as they are a formidable force in this format.