Jake Ball
Ball tumbled to the ground during England's match against Cricket Australia XI Getty

KEY POINTS

  • Ball fell to the ground while he was bowling as he suffered a sprained ankle.
  • England are already without Ben Stokes and his injured replacement Steven Finn.
  • The Ashes takes place on 23 November in Brisbane.

England have suffered yet another setback ahead of the Ashes after Jake Ball sprained his ankle during the warm-up match on Thursday (9 November) against Cricket Australia XI.

Ball, who had claimed a wicket earlier on the second day, tumbled to the ground as he was bowling in the fourth over as he clutched his right ankle.

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While he walked off the pitch without help, he would no longer take part as his sprained ankle is set to be monitored before the extent of his injury is revealed.

"He [Ball] didn't really know the extent of it [the injury], but just said it was quite sore," England all-rounder Chris Woakes told reporters. "He said that it went underneath him."

"He's been bowling nicely on this trip so far, so when you see a fellow fast bowler go off the field - particularly the way he did it, falling under himself - it's quite frustrating for him and us as a team."

It serves as another blow for the Three Lions as Ball was expected to be a starter against Australia with the first Test beginning on 23 November in Brisbane.

His setback adds to the absence of Ben Stokes, whose replacement in fast-bowler Steven Finn has also been ruled out of the Ashes after a knee injury suffered during training in Perth.

Another all-rounder in Moeen Ali is also a doubt as he has not featured yet as he recovers from a side strain. Woakes however, is not concerned with England's growing injury list.

"I don't think it's a concern," he explained. "We've got a good unit in the dressing-room who are willing to put in the hard yards. I think we can all cause some problems out here with what we've got."

"It's never nice to see one of the fast guys go off injured... particularly mid-game, and losing Finny to go home is really sad for him, with such a big series coming up.

"That's unfortunate, and he's obviously a big loss, an international bowler with a lot of experience for us. But we have to deal with it... and you obviously have to step up as a bowler."

Ashes England cricket