IND vs ENG: Jack Leach ruled out with knee injury
England spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the ongoing series against India. The 32-year-old suffered an injury on his left knee in the first Test in Hyderabad and missed the following match in Visakhapatnam due to the same reason.
However, he was expected to get back after a break but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Sunday, February 11 confirmed that the cricketer won’t be able to recover in time and has been ruled out of the remainder of the series.
He will head back home from Abu Dhabi, where the England team is currently stationed. As per the official statement, the England and Somerset medical teams will closely monitor Leach and work on his rehabilitation. Interestingly, England have not named any replacement.
England will not be calling up a replacement: ECB
“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,” an ECB statement read.
Leach was the senior-most spinner in the England squad. Rehan Ahmed now has experience of just three Test matches, while Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir have played two and one Test match respectively. In the first Test in Hyderabad, Leach managed to pick up two wickets as the visitors won the match by 28 runs.
In the absence of Leach, the England spinners have done remarkably well, as Hartley and Bashir showed a lot of character. Dan Lawrence, who has done a remarkable job in domestic cricket, seemed to be the favorite to be a part of the squad right from the start, but he has not been named despite Leach’s exit.
