Garton included in Ashes squad as cover for injured Ball

Sussex left-arm pacer George Garton has been included in the England Ashes squad as a cover for injured Jake Ball.

Ball is doubtful after he injured his ankle during a tour match against a Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide.

England's pace attack has already suffered a blow after Steve Finn was ruled out of the entire series with a knee injury. He was replaced by Tom Curran.

The 26-year-old delivered just four balls of his fourth over when he appeared to lose his footing in his delivery stride and turned his right ankle at the Adelaide Oval, where England were playing a pink ball match in preparation for the upcoming five-test series.

 

Ball subsequently collapsed in a heap and limped off the field unassisted.

Reflecting on Ball's injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that the paceman is in doubt for the final warm-up game in Townsville and the first Test in Brisbane, which starts on November 23.

"The England medical team will assess the injury over the next seven days and he will play no further part in the Adelaide match," the ECB said.

The board further said that the national selectors have decided to call in England Lions seamer Garton as a cover for injured Ball.

"National selectors have called up England Lions and Sussex left-arm seamer George Garton as cover in Townsville for the final warm-up match ahead of the first Test, which gets underway at the GABBA, Brisbane on Thursday 23 November. He will then rejoin the Lions party for their camp in Brisbane and Perth," the board added

Garton, 20, who has appeared in just nine first-class games, seems to have earned the nod after impressing the team management with his pace in the practice sessions over recent months.

Earlier this week, England's pace bowling attack took a hit when Steven Finn was ruled out of the Ashes series with a knee injury. He was replaced by Tom Curran.

Ben Stokes and Toby Roland-Jones were earlier also ruled out of the Ashes series due to their respective issues.

While Toby Roland-Jones will miss the Test series against Australia due to a stress fracture in his lower back, Stokes was sidelined in the wake of the ongoing investigation into the street brawl incident in Bristol last month.

The 2017-18 Ashes series will be played at five venues across Australia between November 23, 2017 and January 8, 2018.