Stone recalled and credits pilates for comeback

Olly Stone played the last of his three Tests against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 2021

England have named Olly Stone in the side to face Sri Lanka in the second Test and the pace bowler has revealed the role pilates has played in his comeback.

Stone, 30, played the last of his three Tests more than three years ago and he has since had surgery to have two screws inserted in his spine.

Overall, the Nottinghamshire man has had four stress fractures in his back, to go with an number of other significant injuries.

"Pilates has been a big thing alongside my gym stuff," Stone told BBC Sport.

"You don’t realise until you get in certain positions on the reformer that you’re probably not as strong as you might think. To work on that has been massive."

Stone comes into the England side at Lord’s in place of fellow pace bowler Mark Wood, who will miss the rest of the series with a thigh injury sustained in the first-Test win at Emirates Old Trafford.

He has taken 10 wickets in three Tests since making his debut at Lord’s against Ireland in 2019.

"It’s obviously a special place,” he said. "My debut is the only four or five-day game I’ve played here. To come back and be here this week is very special and it’s very exciting to get going."

Stone is the only change to the England side, meaning Chris Woakes is passed fit despite appearing to struggle on the final day of the win in Manchester.

By returning to the England team, Stone will achieve the rare feat of winning his first four Test caps against four different teams, having previously featured against the Irish, India and New Zealand.

He is the latest pace bowler to get his chance in the England side as the attack continues to regenerate following retirements, injuries and selection decisions.

Wood, 34, has been in superb form this summer, bowling spells of electrifying pace and Stone is capable of touching 90mph.

"I feel like it’s coming out nicely," he added. "There are times when it clicks more than others. My paces are up there and the gun will tell us.

"I’ve also tried to up my skill, so it’s not necessarily about running in and being as fast as I can and putting that strain through my body. It’s a mixture of both and hopefully I can show my skills this week."

When Wood was ruled out, England opted to call-up Leicestershire left-armer Josh Hull, despite the 20-year-old only managing 16 wickets in his 10 first-class matches at an average of 62.

That meant Ollie Robinson, who was dropped at the start of the summer, continued to be overlooked, while there is still no England call for prolific Essex seamer Sam Cook.

England selector Luke Wright said he "feels" for Cook and that he is "on the radar", while Robinson "can get back in".

"Sam has been very aware of how we're looking to balance our pace attack and he's close," said Wright.

"For Ollie, it’s been said enough times, we want him to show that he's robust enough to be able to stand up to the rigours of Test cricket."