Last updated on .From the section Cricket

England seam bowler Ollie Robinson has been ruled out of the first Test against West Indies with a back injury.

He did not return to bowl on the fourth and final day on Friday and will now miss the first Test in Antigua, which starts on Tuesday.

Saqib Mahmood has taken Robinson's spot in a 12-man England squad.

England's likely seam attack for the first Test will be Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton, but Lancashire's uncapped Mahmood could be chosen for the fourth bowler spot in place of Jack Leach's left-arm spin.

England's final team will be confirmed at the toss on Tuesday.

"Ollie is a talented bowler. Naturally he'll be a big miss," said Woakes.

"He's shown in his short Test career so far that he's certainly got the skills and the ability to do good things in the format. At the same time, it gives people opportunities.

"We're trying to win games cricket here, but it does give that chance to someone to potentially make their Test debut who's been waiting in the wings for quite a while to show what they can can do at this level."

England dropped James Anderson and Stuart Broad, their top two leading Test wicket-takers, for the West Indies tour, with Robinson set to be a key part of the attack in their absence.

Neither Anderson, 39, nor Broad, 35, are expected to join the squad if Robinson is ruled out of the series, with Warwickshire seamer Liam Norwell, 30, the first reserve.

Source: BBC News

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