Olly Stone is striving to put a freak injury behind him © Getty Images
Warwickshire look set to be without fast bowler Olly Stone for longer than originally anticipated in a delay that will bring inevitable disquiet about his long-term prospects.
Stone, signed from Northants towards the end of 2016, damaged his anterior cruciate ligaments last June after falling awkwardly when celebrating the wicket of Moeen Ali.
It was originally feared he would be out of cricket for around 12-months but now appears that such an estimation was optimistic.
Warwickshire still hope that Stone will play some part in the 2017 season, but they are determined not to rush him and are even phlegmatic about the possibility he may not play his first game for them until 2018.
“The important thing is that we give him every chance to make a full recovery,” Warwickshire’s first team coach, Jim Troughton, told ESPNcricinfo. “We hope he will play a part this year, but if it takes longer than that, so be it. We’re not going to risk his long-term career prospects by trying to hurry him.”
It is a bitterly disappointing development for Stone, a player of huge potential, Warwickshire saw him as the outstanding fast bowling prospect in the English game when they signed him in the face of competition from eight other clubs last year. To be sidelined for so long from such a freak injury is a cruel blow.
Warwickshire are also likely to be without Jeetan Patel for a few weeks. The club are resigned to him being named in New Zealand’s ICC Champions Trophy squad and, as a result expect him to miss at least one Championship game as well as some key matches in the Royal London Cup.
They hope that New Zealand might be persuaded to allow him to miss some warm-up games ahead of the tournament, but it seems unavoidable that he will miss the Championship game away at Hampshire – where spin is likely to play a major role – and, if they get that far, the quarter and semi-finals of the Royal London. Warwickshire are the defending champions in that competition.
In his place, Warwickshire are likely to provide more opportunities for leg-spinner Josh Poysden and left-arm spinner Sunny Singh.
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo