England all-rounder Ben Stokes is set to be assessed by the team’s medical staff after suffering an injury in the field on Day 2 of the first Test.
Stokes looked to hurt his knee after chasing a ball to the boundary during the 29th over of Australia’s innings and appeared extremely limited from that moment onwards.
After bowling a lively initial spell of three overs, one that included the wicket of David Warner off a no-ball, Stokes bowled just four more overs off a short run-up after the injury.
ASHES WRAP: Head heroics power Aussies to big lead after Day 2
England’s misery was compounded later on in the day when its most successful bowler of the day, Ollie Robinson, also appeared to be hampered. However, the English camp played down concerns over an injury to Robinson.
“Obviously Ben has hurt himself on the field today so didn’t bowl full pace at the back end of the day,” England’s bowling coach Jon Lewis said after the day’s play.
“Think our medical guys will assess him overnight and see how he is. Other than that the guys are okay.”
Robinson was one of a number of tourists looking weary as the day wore on, and Lewis admitted the team’s lead-up to the first Test could be to blame, with Stokes one of a number of players lacking match practice prior to the Ashes opener.
READ MORE: The technical switch behind Head’s batting masterclass
READ MORE: The mind-boggling Warner trend that finally broke
“Our preparation probably played a part in the last session, but it is what it is, similar for both sides,” he said.
“I know the guys will front up again tomorrow, there’s a lot of character, I know they’ve been in some pretty sticky situations before and they’ve come through it all right. I know the guys will dust themselves down tonight.”