"We’re a bit bewildered by it all" - Jeetan Patel on 'injured' Ollie Pope being forced to field

England spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel expressed his frustration at the umpire's decision that left Ollie Pope fielding with an injury during Day 3 of the ongoing Lord's Test.

Pope initially sustained an injury to his shoulder while fielding on the off-side on the opening day of the contest. He walked off the field after the setback but returned to bat at his usual No.3 position on Day 2. Pope scored a brisk 42, before succumbing to Australia's short-ball ploy.

Third umpire Marais Erasmus informed the England contingent that Pope was required to field during the second innings, otherwise he would not be eligible to come out to bat in the hosts' second innings. England tried to protect Pope from further damage, but an ill-fated fall at mid-on, unfortunately, proceeded to aggravate the injury to his shoulder.

Jeetan Patel stated that Ollie Pope will be fit to bat in England's second innings.

“He is sore but he should be OK to bat again tomorrow. We’re a bit bewildered by it all. We haven’t clarified yet with the officials as to why he was told he had to get back out there and field. It’s a pretty tough situation when you nearly bust your shoulder and you’re told it was an external [injury], is it still an external, we don’t know?" He said after Stumps on Day 3

“He had to go back out there. It was always going to happen, isn’t it? He’s so committed to this team he was always going to fall on something, and now he’s back off the field icing his shoulder," Patel continued.

Pope, who recently scored his maiden double hundred in England's 10-wicket triumph over Ireland, has undergone multiple surgeries on his shoulder in the past. He was ruled out for four months in 2020 after dislocating his left shoulder during the home series against Pakistan.

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"It’s a bit messy if I’m honest with you" - Jeetan Patel on Ollie Pope's situation

England will need all hands on deck in what is expected to be a steep run chase in the fourth innings. The hosts imploded on the third day, collapsing from 188-1 to 325 all-out, handing Australia a significant lead.

The visitors, in response, have already increased their lead to 221, with eight wickets remaining ahead of the final two days of the match.

Mentioning the overall confusion and lack of clarity over the batter's situation, Jeetan Patel said:

“It’s a bit confusing. We assume that he was told he had to be back out on the field or else we had to field with 10 men, and that made no sense to me."

He added:

“It’s a bit messy if I’m honest with you. We’re probably as frustrated as everyone else out there that saw what happened, and him, and he’s probably more angry at the situation than anything else.”

Will the shoulder injury play an impact when he comes out to bat in the fourth innings? Let us know what you think.