England’s left-arm spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out for the remainder of the Test series against India owing to a left knee injury.
Leach injured his left knee when fielding on the first day of the Test series opener in Hyderabad, when he collided with the ground while diving to stop a boundary.
On day two of the match, Leach worsened the injury, resulting in swelling on his injured knee and being unable to bowl long stints, despite delivering 26 overs in the first innings. But Leach bowled 10 overs in the second innings, taking out Shreyas Iyer and leading England to a stunning 28-run triumph at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
He did not recuperate in time for England’s 106-run defeat in the second Test at Visakhapatnam’s Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
Leach was expected to recover during the ten-day break and be available for England’s third Test against India, which begins on February 15 in Rajkot. However, with the team on break in Abu Dhabi, it has been decided that Leach would not play for England in the final three Tests.
“He will fly home from Abu Dhabi in the next 24 hours, where the England team have been staying ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, which starts on Thursday. Leach will work closely with the England and Somerset medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation. England will not be calling up a replacement,” said a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
It is a major loss for England, given Leach has only returned from a stress fracture in his back that kept him out of last year’s Ashes at home. Not calling a substitute also means England’s spin-bowling options are now a young trio of leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who made his debut in Visakhapatnam in Leach’s place and is also his Somerset teammate.
England also has Joe Root as a part-time off-spinner, and they may consider adding a second fast bowler in either Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, or Gus Atkinson to accompany James Anderson.
England are due to arrive in India on Monday and begin practice in Rajkot on Tuesday ahead of the third Test, which will also mark skipper Ben Stokes’ 100th appearance in the format.
