Gary Ballance to undergo scans on his left index finger

English batsman Gary Ballance is set to undergo an X-ray scan on his left index finger. Ballance injured his finger during the English innings on the penultimate day of the second Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge. He was hit by a rising delivery bowled by Proteas speedster Morne Morkel during the day. Ballance was seen in some serious pain at the point of impact.

It was definitely not a very fruitful game for Gary Ballance on the personal front. He perished after scoring just 4 in the second innings. Earlier in the game, he had scored 27 in the first innings. Team England ended up bundling out for a paltry 133 in the second innings to lost the game by a massive margin of 340 runs. This is the second largest defeat that the Proteas team have ever inflicted on the English side in the history of Test cricket.

Considering the series, Gary Ballance has had a rough time in general. He has accumulated only 85 runs in the four innings thus far and averages just over 21. Needless to say, he desperately needs to perform to justify his selection in the team. In case the X-ray scans result in a case where he will have to be rested, things could pretty well halt for him in his Test career. The third Test begins on July 27 at the Oval.

Meanwhile, pacer Mark Wood is also likely to undergo a scan for his bruised left heel. An English spokesman, as per the quotes in ESPNcricinfo, commented that Wood’s left heel will be monitored closely in the coming days. If deemed necessary, he will undergo a scan.

Facing the hard defeat

Commenting on the defeat, the hosts England have a lot to think about before they head into the third Test. Skipper Joe Root noted the same as he reflected back at the game after the defeat.

“We will sit down over the next couple of days. The top six are talented players and they will be desperate to make their chances count when they come along. It’s important at The Oval we try to get off to a really strong start especially in the first innings and those guys are more than capable of doing it. The way they’ve gone about things in practice and the runs they’ve scored in county cricket have been outstanding and now it’s just about doing it in international cricket,” said Joe Root.