Jack Leach was England’s main spinner going into their five-match Test series in 2023/24. However, he picked up a left knee injury during the first Test match, at Hyderabad, when he dived to stop a ball.

As a result, he could bowl only 36 overs, and returned match figures of 4-96, though that did not prevent England from winning by 28 runs.

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The injury kept Leach out of the second Test match, at Visakhapatnam, where off-spinner Shoaib Bashir debuted. India won by 106 runs to square the series.

An ECB release on February 11 announced that the injury has ruled out Leach for the rest of the Test series. He would fly back home within 24 hours from Abu Dhabi, where the England team has been staying ahead of the third Test match, in Rajkot.

“Leach will work closely with the England and Somerset medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation,” added the release, while confirming that “England will not be calling up a replacement”.

Leach’s absence will be a major blow to the England camp, whose spin attack now consists of Bashir (one Test cap), Tom Hartley (two), and Rehan Ahmed (three), along with the now-injured part-timer Joe Root.

From 36 Test matches, Leach has 126 wickets at 34.40. In India, his 20 Test wickets have come at 30.65 apiece. He has been a consistent presence in the Ben Stokes era, featuring in 14 of the 21 Test matches. No England spinner has more Test wickets under Stokes.

More to follow…