England ban football as cricket warm-up activity after Rory Burns's injury

Image Credits: Twitter/@englandcricket

The England cricket team has decided to ban football as a warm-up activity before training sessions after they lost the services of opener Rory Burns for the ongoing Test series against South Africa due to a left ankle injury. 

Burns was earlier ruled out of the four-Test South Africa series after sustaining ligament damage to his left ankle during a warm-up football match before training on Thursday. He was subsequently sent back home for further assessment.  

The 29-year-old's injury came ahead of the start of the second Test of the series between the two sides at Newlands Cricket Ground. Later, Kent's Zak Crawley was called up in England's Playing XI as a replacement for injured Burns. 

Now, England middle-order batsman Ollie Pope confirmed that playing football during the training session is now banned.

"I think we have to find something else to get us having a laugh in the morning. Unfortunately for Burnsy, it's just a freak accident, these things happen and hopefully we won't have any more of them," Sport24 quoted Burns as saying. 

England are currently trailing 0-1 in the series after slumping to a crushing defeat by 107 runs in the opening Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion. 

On Saturday, Ollie Pope struck an unbeaten half-century of 56 runs while Ben Stokes scored a crucial 77-ball 47 as England posted 262 for nine in the first innings at stumps on the opening day of second South Africa Test in Newlands.