- The spin bowler has been ruled out for the rest of the Test series in India
- Jack Leach suffered a badly bruised knee while performing the first test
- The 32-year-old returns home from England’s training camp in Abu Dhabi
Jack Leach has been ruled out of the rest of England’s Test series in India in the latest cruel blow for a cricketer whose career has been littered with injury setbacks.
The badly bruised knee that Leach suffered when he damaged it twice in the field during the first Test in Hyderabad has proved sufficiently bad to ruin his chances of playing in Thursday’s third Test in Rajkot and the remaining matches in Ranchi and Dharamsala to end.
Leach, 32, will now return home from England’s camp in Abu Dhabi, where they have been on a break midway through the series and there are no plans to call up a replacement.
That means the spin will now be left in the inexperienced hands of Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, with Joe Root expected to be fit to support them after damaging the little finger of his right hand during the second Test defeat in Visakhapatnam.
It is desperate news for England’s only slow bowler with experience in Leach, who made his comeback in the first Test after missing the entire Ashes with a stress fracture of the back suffered in last summer’s first Test against Ireland.
Jack Leach has been ruled out of the rest of England’s Test series in India due to a knee injury he sustained while playing in Hyderabad
The badly bruised knee Leach suffered when he damaged it twice in the field during the first Test in Hyderabad has proven sufficiently serious to end his chances of playing in India again.
Leach, 32, will now return home from England’s camp in Abu Dhabi, where they had their mid-series break
Unfortunately, the slow left-armer from Somerset is no stranger to injuries or illness-induced absences. Most seriously, Leach, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that weakens his immune system, suffered blood poisoning so severe during England’s tour of New Zealand in 2019 that he thought he was going to die.
This latest setback is also a blow for England. Leach was a particular favorite of captain Ben Stokes and had become a key figure in the Bazball era, playing in every Test under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum until injury struck last year.
But Stokes and McCullum will have no problem relying on the three young spinners who have already done such a good job in Leach’s absence.
Hartley took seven wickets on debut to inspire England’s stunning win in Hyderabad, while Ahmed took six wickets in the second Test in Vizag and Bashir impressed with his off-spin on debut.