England are 2-0 down in the Ashes and must now play the rest of the series against Australia without their first-choice No.3 batter.
The ECB announced on Tuesday that Ollie Pope would be ruled out of the remainder of the five-match rubber.
Pope twice went off for treatment after injuring his shoulder while fielding as Australia won by 43 runs at Lord's last week. The third Test starts at Headingley on Thursday.
How long will Pope be out and what are England's options for replacing him as they attempt an unprecedented comeback against their fierce rivals?
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Ollie Pope shoulder injury
Test vice-captain Pope could be set for an extended spell on the sidelines after the ECB confirmed he will require surgery due to dislocating his shoulder.
"England and Surrey batter Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the rest of the LV= Insurance Men's Ashes Series after dislocating his right shoulder during the second Ashes Test at Lord's last week," the statement read.
"Scans in London on Monday revealed the full extent of the injury and he will miss the rest of the summer campaign and will require surgery.
"He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation."
Gutted 💔these things happen and backing the boys all the way 🏴 pic.twitter.com/hWFZN78MKy
— Ollie Pope (@OPope32) July 4, 2023
It is not the first time that a shoulder injury has interrupted Pope's career. When fielding for Surrey against Essex in 2019, he damaged the joint making a dive. An operation was also required on that occasion.
Although he scored 221 not out on his return to County Championship action against Hampshire towards the end of the season, the injury contributed to a 15-month absence from the Test arena.
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Ollie Pope Test average
Pope's capacity to score big runs and his creative strokeplay caught the attention of the England selectors in 2018 and he was thrown in to face India despite having only 15 first-class appearances under his belt at the time.
It proved to be a false start at the top level as he made a top score of 28 in three innings, but he earned a post-surgery return for the tour of New Zealand in 2019 under new coach Chris Silverwood and he flourished on the subsequent trip to South Africa, scoring a maiden Test century and two fifties in a 3-1 series win.
Pope has been a fixture in the Test setup ever since but it has not been a tale of unfettered success. His average of 34.45 across 38 matches, with four tons and 11 half-centuries, pales next to an overall first-class record of 50.41.
In five Ashes Tests, he averages a paltry 15.7 having failed to pass 50 in 10 innings. Pope has at least a half-century against every other country he has faced at international level.
From making his debut in the then-unfamiliar position of No.4 before being shunted around the middle order under Joe Root, Pope told Ben Stokes he wanted to bat at three in his revamped England team at the start of last summer.
Having a settled role has paid reasonable dividends. He averages 40.28 with Stokes in charge, up from 29.64 in the Root era.
As such, Stokes and Test coach Brendon McCullum are venturing into the unknown ahead of a must-win encounter in Leeds.
Who will replace Ollie Pope? Ben Foakes chances of playing at Headingley
In the final line of their statement regarding Pope's condition, the ECB confirmed England would select from within the squad already named for Headingley, with no replacement to be added to the now 14-man party.
It means there will be no recall for Ben Foakes, despite a reasonable amount of clamour for Pope's county colleague to be included.
Foakes is widely recognised as England's finest specialist wicketkeeper but Jonny Bairstow was handed the gloves for the Ashes — so far with mixed results — on account of his more explosive capabilities with the bat.
One option discussed among fans online was to bring in Foakes to bat at No.7 and benefit from his added expertise behind the stumps, with Bairstow moving up the order as a specialist batter.
Given he is the only batting reserve in the squad, Essex's Dan Lawrence appeared to have a good chance of making his Ashes debut. However, an average of 29 and no centuries across 11 previous Tests means he did not look like an ideal solution, nor does Lawrence have experience of batting at No.3. On the other hand, neither did Pope.
A reshuffle of the batting order feels on the cards. Former captain Root has played as a No.3 in 33 Tests across his 132-match career and has four centuries within that sample size. However, an average of 39.67 is below his overall career efforts of 50.43 and England might be minded to let their best batter remain in his favourite berth at No.4.
Stokes' stupendous 155 at Lord's again showcased his gargantuan hitting, but the captain arguably has the best defensive technique in the England team and many good judges have felt he could do a job at three for some time. That time might be now, given his reduced bowling load and a palpable desire to lead by example whenever possible.
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The skipper's struggles with a long-standing left knee problem is the reason for him bowling less and England could use Pope's injury as an opportunity to bolster their attack. Moeen Ali is fit again after suffering a badly blistered finger during the first Test and the off-spinning all-rounder could come in to bat at seven, with everyone shuffling upwards as in the rejected Foakes scenario.
Indeed, this is the direction England have taken, with Harry Brook stepping up to No.3 despite his struggles against the short ball at Lord's.
Bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes will play his first Test since March 2022 as one of four frontline seamers. The 34-year-old has 94 Test wickets at 22.63 on home soil and would give England more desirable batting depth at No.8 below Moeen.
Fast bowler Mark Wood will also make his first appearance of the series. England's all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson and Josh Tongue are understood to be the men making way. Anderson has been some way short of his imperious best during the series so far but Tongue impressed as he took 5/151 in the match at Lord's, removing David Warner and Steve Smith in both innings and bowling with sharp pace.
