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England were faced with a big blow ahead of the start of day four's play during the ongoing second Ashes Test. Skipper Joe Root did not take the field as he was injured during throw downs just before play during the warm ups. England's vice-captain Ben Stokes led the team in Root's absence.
When his team took the field, he was being assessed by England's medical team. Notably, Root was warming up with some simple half volley throwdowns in the nets from spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel. Unfortunately, one of the balls nipped back sharply at him and struck him in the abdomen. The England skipper was seen in a lot of pain at the time and the blow meant that Root was unable to take the field. It is understood that Root was not wearing a box at the time of the incident.
The whole scenario was described as a “freak incident” by a team spokesperson. Root underwent a scan on Sunday afternoon in Adelaide and his injury could have been a serious concern for the team. He has scored 1,110 more runs than anyone else in the England team this year.
Root declared fit to resume playing
Meanwhile, it is reported that Joe Root will take the field after having scans from a local hospital. He is fit to play and can take the field. This will be a big relief for the England squad. Meanwhile, Australia resumed the fourth day at 45-1, with a lead of over 282 runs over England. At the time of this report, Australia had reached 124/4 with an overall lead of 361 runs.
Meanwhile, it is reported that a broadcast team member has tested positive for COVID-19. The medical team is trying to assess more details to further take care of the situation. Most members have been asked to isolate until they return a negative test. The team is trying to trace close contacts to the infected person. The medical team is undertaking a deep clean of the relevant areas and are facilitating alternative facilities for relevant officials.