Ashes 2017: Jake Ball hands England injury scare just two weeks before first Test

Jake Ball has handed England another injury scare after he sprained his right ankle during the second day of the tour match against a Cricket Australia XI.

The 26-year-old was bowling well, taking the wicket of Ryan Gibson in his third over, and looking as if he was moving into a position of favouritism for the final seamer’s slot for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.

But Ball broke down bowling shortly before the tea interval when his right ankle buckled on impact with the turf.

After collapsing in agony, the Nottinghamshire bowler was led away by England team physio Craig De Weymarn and will play no further part in the final two sessions of the day at the Adelaide Oval.

The injury scare is a concern for England given it comes just two days since Middlesex seamer Steven Finn was ruled out of the rest of the tour with a knee injury.

The tourists’ bowling stocks were already depleted by the absence in Australia of Ben Stokes, suspended after his late-night altercation in Bristol in September, and the injured Toby Roland-Jones and Mark Wood.

The seriousness of Ball’s injury is not yet known, with England confirming they will assess ankle overnight before deciding whether a scan is necessary.

If Ball were to miss the first Test at the Gabba in a fortnight’s time it would almost certainly mean a place in the XI for Craig Overton, the Somerset seamer who is also playing in this day-night warm-up game in Adelaide.

With Moeen Ali missing this match with a side strain and Tom Curran, Finn’s replacement in the squad, yet to arrive, England currently only have 13 fit players in Australia.

That meant fielding coach Paul Collingwood, who retired from Test cricket at the end of the 2010/11 Ashes tour, was forced to don his whites in case he was needed as an emergency substitute fielder.

“Jake didn't really know the extent of it, but just said it was quite sore," Chris Woakes revealed afterwards. “He's been bowling nicely on this trip so far, so when you see a fellow fast bowler go off the field – particularly the way he did it, falling under himself – it's quite frustrating for him and us as a team.

“It's never nice to see one of the fast guys go off injured, particularly mid-game, and losing Finny to go home is obviously really sad for him, with such a big series coming up.

“But we have to deal with it, build as a unit and move forward."