Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out of the remainder of England's limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka with the ankle injury that he sustained during the team’s regular pre-training football match last week, confirmed by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Sunday (October 21).

Bairstow missed the fourth One Day International in Pallekele and was replaced by Alex Hales in the playing XI for the match, which won by the touring side by 18 runs (DLS method) to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.

His chances for the upcoming three-match Test series starting from November 6 in Galle is also in doubt after ODI and T20I series, as England team management is mulling over calling Surrey’s Ben Foakes as further wicketkeeping cover, as there is only Jos Buttler, as the other gloveman in the squad for Test series.

The ECB said in a statement, “He will be monitored and assessed on a daily basis by the England medical team in Sri Lanka and a further update will be given in due course on his fitness ahead of the three-match Test series starting next month.”

The way Bairstow picked up the injury ahead of the crucial part of the Sri Lanka tour, which will certainly renew debate over the wisdom of playing football as a warm-up, as the Coach Trevor Bayliss is already not a big fan of the pre-match football practice, and it is the only choice of the players.

(Input: International Cricket Council)