Ben Foakes OUT for three months – including England’s series with New Zealand – after freak accident

Ben Foakes is out of England’s Test series with a freak injury after slipping in the Oval dressing room and tearing his hamstring.

It is a cruel blow for the brilliant Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman, who was due to play in his first home Test at Lord’s next week in place of the rested Jos Buttler.

And it is the second time in a matter of months that an England player has been injured in this way, with Zak Crawley slipping on a dressing room floor in Chennai and missing the first Test of the winter series against India.

Ben Foakes will miss England’s Test series with New Zealand next month after a freak accident in which he slipped over in The Oval dressing room and tore his hamstring

It is an enormous blow for the wicketkeeper-batsman, who had been due to play for England in the Test series against New Zealand next month

Foakes suffered the injury at the end of Surrey’s drawn Championship match against Middlesex on Sunday when he was walking through the dressing room in his socks.

He will miss not only the first Test but also the second that quickly follows at Edgbaston and, with Buttler expected to return for the five-Test series against India in August and September, Foakes may have blown his big chance to finally establish himself in the England side. He is initially facing three months on the sidelines.

His absence will provide an opportunity for Gloucestershire’s James Bracey, who was already in the England squad as back-up, to make his Test debut at Lord’s with the gloves and at No 7 in the order.

And England as a consequence have called up two other players to their enlarged Test squad in Haseeb Hameed and Sam Billings.

Foakes was due to replace the rested Jos Buttler (pictured) for the New Zealand series

Foakes bats for Surrey during their County Championship match against Hampshire

It looked like a star had been born when Hameed excelled against India in the 2016-17 series but after fracturing his wrist his career went into steep decline and he was released by Lancashire.

Hameed has rebuilt his career under the tutelage of Peter Moores at Nottinghamshire and has been in outstanding form this season, scoring 474 Championship runs at an average of 52.66.

He will play for Notts in this week’s Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, starting on Thursday, before joining up with England at their London base on Sunday night. The first Test begins on Wednesday.

Hameed will provide back-up to England’s batting while the uncapped Billings is seen as the best option to cover for Bracey even though he is one of the players who has only recently emerged from quarantine following the curtailed IPL.

Nottinghamshire batsman Haseeb Hameed has been called up into the England squad

Sam Billings has also been added to the England Test squad to face New Zealand next month

Foakes memorably made a debut century for England against Sri Lanka in Galle back in 2018