England's Ollie Pope sidelined for four months with dislocated shoulder

In what may come as a huge setback for England, batsman Ollie Pope has been ruled out of action for up to four months after dislocating his left shoulder.

The 22-year-old suffered the injury during his side's drawn third Test of the three-match series against Pakistan at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground in Southampton. England won that series by 1-0.

Pope slided in a bid to save a boundary off the second ball of Stuart Broad's first over on Day 4 of the final Pakistan Test when he dislocated his shoulder.He was subsequently walked off the field and did not return to play.

On Wednesday, the Surrey player underwent an MRI scan which revealed the extend of the injury.He will now undergo a surgery to treat his shoulder in the next few days.

"The Surrey player will have surgery on the injured shoulder in the next couple of weeks and will commence a rehabilitation programme with the Surrey and England medical teams," the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in an official statement.

Pope will hope to make a return in for England’s winter tours of Sri Lanka and India, beginning in the early part of 2021.

England are currently playing a three-match Twenty20I series against Pakistan. The opening match of the series between the two sides at Old Trafford Cricket Ground was abandoned on Friday due to rain.