England have another injury in their side, with Jake Ball ruled out of the first Test against South Africa, with a knee injury. 

The 26-year-old went for a scan on Wednesday after pain in his knee while bowling in the second innings for Nottinghamshire’s County Championship match against Kent on Tuesday, and will miss their One Day Cup final against Surrey.

This points to a slight crisis in the England camp, with Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes also a doubt for the opening Test against the Proteas at Lord’s, starting on 6 July.

‘Jake is naturally very, very disappointed to miss out on the final, having previously been made available to play by the ECB, particularly after missing out on selection when Notts beat Glamorgan at Lord’s in 2013,’ Nottinghamshire head coach Moores told the club’s official website.

‘He’s given his all in this competition when he’s been available to us, and we’ll miss him for what will be a really tough game against Surrey.

‘Jake is a very strong character and I’m sure he’ll bounce back from this. I know he’ll be wanting us to beat Surrey as much as anybody.’

For the Proteas, their Test Captain, Faf du Plessis, is a doubt for the first Test, due to the birth of his first child, with Dean Elgar stepping in as interim captain.

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Photo: Philip Brown/Getty Images