Hampshire have announced that England spinner Mason Crane is to miss the rest of the season with a recurrence of the stress fracture he sustained to his lower back over the winter.
Crane, who made his Test debut during in Sydney during the Ashes, was subsequently ruled out of England’s New Zealand tour after experiencing discomfort during the warm-up matches. He made his return during the Royal London Cup in May, and played in Hampshire’s Lord’s victory at the weekend after a painkilling injection, but will now undergo a programme of rest and rehabilitation.
In a statement, Hampshire said that Crane had experienced pain after the semi-final, and that a series of scans had suggested it was likely to be the same back problem as before. He finished the Royal London Cup as their leading wicket-taker, with 15 at 29.13.
“Following the findings of this final scan, the coaching staff, medical staff and Mason discussed the potential of performing a pain-relieving injection to allow the opportunity for him to participate in last Saturday’s 50-over final, and an agreement was made to carry out this treatment,” the club said.
“It was also determined that following the injection, Mason would take part in two fixtures for Hampshire Second XI before undergoing a fitness test to accurately assess his availability. After participating in both matches last week without issue, as well as passing a pre-match fitness test, it was agreed that he would be fit for selection for Saturday’s final, before then being shut down for the remainder of this season to focus on resting and undergoing appropriate rehabilitation.”
As well as a single Test in Australia, where he returned figures of 1 for 193, Crane played two T20 internationals against South Africa last summer.
Hampshire will also be without the services of Scotland seamer Brad Wheal, after he suffered a similar back stress problem during the Royal London Cup that will require him to sit out the rest of the campaign.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo