Kevin Sinclair, the West Indies’ offspinning allrounder, has been ruled out of the third and final Test against England after sustaining a fractured left forearm. Sinclair suffered the injury on the final day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, when he was struck by a 92mph bouncer from Mark Wood.
The incident occurred as Sinclair attempted to fend off the delivery, which ballooned up into the cordon and was taken by Zak Crawley. Sinclair reviewed the dismissal but the on-field decision was upheld by DRS, showing impact with the sweatband of his left glove.
Sinclair’s injury is a blow to the West Indies, who are already 2-0 down in the series. He has been replaced by Gudakesh Motie for the third Test, which begins on June 23 at Emirates Old Trafford.
Wood was in electric form throughout the second Test, his first appearance of the summer. He clocked a top speed of 97.1mph in his third over – the fastest delivery of his Test career – and maintained high speeds throughout the match.
Despite his impressive pace, Wood only returned one wicket in each innings. However, his presence had a significant impact on the game, as he forced the West Indies batsmen to play cautiously and made them vulnerable to short-pitched bowling.
Wood’s performance was praised by England captain Ben Stokes, who believes that the 34-year-old could be the one to blow a batting line-up apart this summer.
“Even in his second or third spells, you have to hold your hands up and celebrate what we have there,” said Stokes. “He’s got the heart of a lion. He runs in spell after spell, ball after ball.
“Although he didn’t get the rewards he wanted last week, he knows he affects the game in more than just wickets. That showed last week. I think someone will pay this summer, either West Indies this game or Sri Lanka.”
