Olly Stone Pondering Over Test Retirement Amid Battle With Injuries

England pacer Olly Stone has had an injury-troubled career, and this has now forced him to give a thought to retiring from the longer format.

Olly Stone is currently recovering from a stress fracture to the lower back, his third in as many years, which he sustained in June after the Test series against New Zealand. He was then ruled out of the white-ball matches against Sri Lanka, Test series at home versus India, followed by the T20 World Cup and the away Ashes.

The Warwickshire seamer made his Test debut in 2019 but has played just 3 Tests so far, in which he has taken 10 wickets at a brilliant average of 19.39.

Olly Stone has been England’s plan in both red-ball and white-ball cricket because of his ability to bowl high pace. However, regular injuries have prevented him from game time.

I’ve given myself the best possible chance to play Test cricket: Olly Stone

Olly Stone stated that he had done everything in his power to keep himself fit for the longest format, but asserted that “it would sit right with me” if now he has to call it quits from Test cricket.

“I’ve given myself the best possible chance of doing everything I can to play Test cricket, and if it means I can’t, it would sit right with me if I have to call it a day in the longer format,” Olly Stone was quoted as saying while speaking on BBC’s Project Ashes podcast.

The pacer has experience of 44 first-class matches, wherein he has snapped up 150 wickets at 24.78. However, he said he may not gain the motivation again to play multi-day cricket.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve had to properly think hard about whether I want to try and get back out there and do it again. This time I felt like I’d done everything I can off the field: diet, nutrition, even just getting fitter and stronger. In the past I thought it might have been a factor to why it [injury] was happening,” he added.

Ollie Robinson has emerged as the next-generation pacer for England, having impressed at home against New Zealand and India. He will be one of the watch-out-for players in the upcoming Ashes.

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