England will continue to check on Ollie Pope’s injured shoulder as they look to keep their Ashes hopes alive at Headingley this week.
The vice-captain hurt his shoulder while fielding in the first innings of the 43-run defeat at Lord’s and went on to aggravate the problem when a misunderstanding with the match officials led England to believe they could not use a substitute fielder later in the game. He made 42 and three in the match, batting in his regular spot at three.
The 25-year-old has been retained in a 15-man squad for Thursday’s crucial third Test, which England need to win to stand a chance of overturning a 2-0 deficit, but it is not yet clear if he will be passed fit.
Essex batsman Dan Lawrence, who won the last of his 11 caps in the West Indies 16 months ago, is the spare batter in the squad and would be in line for a recall if Pope is forced to pull out.
Head coach Brendon McCullum said: “We will check Ollie and work it out. We will see how he is.
“I was so proud of Ollie, to do what he did (at Lord’s). He’s a tough kid to bat at number three and want to make an impact.
“That 40-odd in the first innings, he was suffering a lot of pain, but he was able to invest in the team and put that to one side and operate.
“He’s obviously our vice-captain as well and a fantastic leader in the group, albeit at a young age.”
England could look to freshen up their bowling attack after a brief three-day turnaround, with James Anderson and Ollie Robinson the likeliest to make way.
Spinner Moeen Ali, who was not risked for the second Test due to a nasty wound on his right index finger, is in contention to return and Mark Wood will bring his express 90mph pace to the side if the medical staff are confident he can get through the match.
Wood has not played competitive red-ball cricket since December and could not guarantee he would be able to operate at top speed consistently at Lord’s. Chris Woakes is also available and brings a strong home record with the Dukes ball as well reliable lower-order batting.
