London, July 4 England coach Brendon McCullum stated that his side will maintain a close watch on Ollie Pope's shoulder injury as they strive to keep their Ashes aspirations alive this week at Headingley.
Pope 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 then batted in both innings and 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 the third Test at Headingley, which England need to win to stand a chance of overturning a 2-0 deficit. However, it remains uncertain whether he will be deemed fit for the match.
Speaking to BBC, England 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."
Meanwhile, Dan Lawrence, who plays for Essex, is the spare batter in the squad and would be in line for a recall if Pope is forced to pull out.
Lawrence has so far represented England in 11 Tests, scoring 551 runs, which includes four half-centuries. In First-Class cricket, he has amassed 6050 runs in 113 games, including 14 centuries and 28 fifties.
England is trailing 0-2 in the five-match series and will look to will look to avenge their losses with the third Test of the series set to get underway on July 6 at Headingley in Leeds.
--IANS
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