After a bad injury that saw him slip in the Surrey changing room and tear his left hamstring, Ben Foakes has been ruled out for around three months, including England’s Test series against New Zealand.
Foakes, who has played eight Tests, was set to make his Lord’s premiere next week, but James Bracey, the Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman, is now expected to take his place. He usually bats in the top order for his county, but he’ll likely bat at No. 7 ahead of a four-man attack as England looks to equalize their side without their all-rounders.
In Foakes’ place, England has added two intriguing players to their team. Sam Billings, a white-ball regular for the past six years, gets his first Test call-up as wicketkeeping cover after playing for Kent last week after returning from the Indian Premier League. Because this is likely to be a surplus role, England manager Chris Silverwood thought he was a better fit than first-choice, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, who have not performed since coming back from India.
The other one is Haseeb Hameed, who averaged 44 in three Tests in India in 2016, but has gone through a period of wandering since moving from Lancashire to Nottinghamshire. He is leading the in-form county’s batting charts with 474 runs at 52.66, which include two centuries, while opening the batting.
Foakes has played all eight of his Tests outside of England and he conveyed his excitement at the possibility of making his home debut. After Surrey’s 2-2 draw with Middlesex on Sunday, he slipped in the Kia Oval dressing room while wearing socks and sustained an injury. He will now be assessed and work closely on his rehabilitation with the Surrey medical team, according to an ECB statement. However. he is expected to be out of action for three months, which can include much of England’s Test series against India in August.
