By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
England spin spearhead Jack Leach will miss the rest of their five-match test series against India due to a left knee injury, the England Cricket Board (ECB) announced.
The 32-year-old picked up the injury during England’s first Test victory in Hyderabad, where he was forced to play a restricted role and subsequently missed the second Test in Vizag.
A statement from the ECB read: “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 confirmed they will not be calling up a replacement for Leach, who has been Ben Stokes’ primary spinner throughout his tenure. It is another blow for a popular member of the dressing room, who had only just returned from a stress fracture of the back that ruled him out of last summer’s Ashes.
It means England’s spin options are now limited to the young trio of Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir – who made his debut in the second Test as a replacement for Leach, his Somerset team-mate – alongside Joe Root as the team’s sole allrounder.
Leach’s absence means England are likely to veer from the one-seamer approach for the next Test, which begins on Thursday. The tourists may look to partner James Anderson with either Mark Wood (who played the first Test before being replaced by Anderson for the second) or Ollie Robinson.
The series resumes in Rajkot on Thursday tied at 1-1 following India’s 106-run victory in Vizag.