Ben Foakes, the England wicketkeeper, has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against New Zealand after tearing his left hamstring. He is expected to be out of action for the next three weeks, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced in a release on Wednesday. Foakes sustained the injury on Sunday after slipping on socks while walking in the dressing room following Surrey's County Championship match against Middlesex at the Oval. He will be assessed by the Surrey medical team, who will work on his rehabilitation. Foakes, who was the front-runner to take up the wicketkeeping duties in the first Test, was set to play his first Test at home. He has featured in 8 Tests so far, impressing in tough conditions with both bat and behind the stumps.
Uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings has been called in as a replacement to the England squad. However, James Bracey, who was already a part of the squad, is expected to make it to the England XI as the 'keeper. However, the other established wicketkeepers in England's ranks - Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow - are both missing from the current squad, having been rested following their involvement in the IPL, which was postponed earlier this month due to India's surge in Covid cases. Haseeb Hameed, who played each of his three Tests against India in 2016-17, before breaking his hand and suffering a subsequent loss of form for his former club, Lancashire. Hameed, however, has started the 2021 season impressively, making 474 runs at 52.66 to help Nottinghamshire end a three-year win drought with three victories in a row. He is due to play in the forthcoming Championship fixture against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, starting on Thursday, before linking up with the England squad at their London base on Sunday night.
