Olly Stone ready to play with a smile on his face on return to England Test side

Olly Stone is set for his first Test appearance in three years after being drafted in as England’s pace x-factor in the absence of the injured Mark Wood.

With a thigh strain ruling Wood out of the rest of the series against Sri Lanka, Stone, who has a chequered injury record of his own, has been named in the XI for the second Test at Lord’s, starting on Thursday.

The inclusion of the 30-year-old is England’s only change from the side that claimed a five-wicket win in last week’s series opener and is a heartening return for a bowler who has endured so many setbacks.

Stone once ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament celebrating a wicket and has had to contend with several stress fractures in his back, leading to the insertion of two metal screws to reinforce his spine.

Most recently, a recurring hamstring problem sidelined him for much of 2023 and wrecked his Ashes hopes but he has featured in six Vitality County Championship matches this year for Nottinghamshire.

“It’s obviously pleasing to be back, great to be back in the environment and I’m loving every minute of it,” said Stone, who made the last of his three Test appearances in June 2021.

“Unfortunately with the nature of being a bowler, you are going to pick up injuries here and there. It’s been disappointing, stop-start throughout my career.

“This year especially I’ve tried to just not look too far ahead. I love playing the game and I just knew that if I go out there and produce those performances, this call might come.

“Thankfully it has and I’m going to go out and enjoy every moment and play with a smile on my face.”

Despite the persistent misfortunes he has had to endure, Stone insisted his focus was always to get back into the Test side rather than to pursue T20 opportunities that would have been easier on his body.

“I just love the feeling of coming off after a long four or five days, on the back of a hard-fought win,” said Stone.

“It’s something that white-ball cricket can’t give you. I’ve always said that one of the reasons I went down certain surgical routes to have my back sorted was so that I could go out and play Test cricket again.

“It’s never been in my mind to give that up. If my body then gave up on me, maybe I’d have to step away but thankfully so far I’ve found a way and I can be back out there in an England shirt.”

While Stone has express pace and could be the fastest bowler on show this week, he was reluctant to cast himself as a direct replacement for Wood, who has touched 97mph this summer.

“It’s been pretty frightening the way he’s been bowling,” added Stone.

“It’s disappointing for him to miss out, the way he’s come in and bowled this summer is very exciting.

“Hopefully, I can go out there and try and touch his speeds. He’s obviously up there with the fastest in the world so I’m not sure if I’ll match it but I’ll give it a good shot.”