Massive blow for England, Jack Leach ruled out of 2nd Test!! Check who will replace him

England captain Ben Stokes confirmed that left-arm spinner Jack Leach will not participate in the upcoming second Test of the five-match series against India. Ben Stokes expressed hope that Jack Leach will be available for the remaining matches in the ongoing series.

Jack Leach was the most-capped spinner in England’s bowling lineup for the first Test match in Hyderabad. The left-arm spinner sustained a knee injury while fielding during the match. He bowled only a few overs in short spells in both innings of the series opener.

The 32-year-old bowled 26 overs in the first innings, conceding 63 runs and taking the crucial wicket of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. The veteran spinner bowled 10 overs in the second innings, where he dismissed Shreyas Iyer, who had scored 13 runs off 31 balls.

Jack Leach Is Ruled Out Of The Second Test – Ben Stokes

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ben Stokes expressed disappointment over Jack Leach‘s absence from the upcoming Test. Stokes hoped that the injury wouldn’t sideline him for an extended period.

“He’s ruled out of the second Test. Hopefully, it does not keep him out for longer in the series. It’s a big shame for us, especially after a long time out of the game with his back. Obviously, it’s frustrating but it’s something we’re assessing every day,” Stokes said.

Shoaib Bashir, who missed the opening Test, is now a contender to replace Leach in the upcoming match against India. The 20-year-old spinner had faced a visa delay before the start of the series. Bashir recently joined the England Test squad after resolving the issue.

Very, Very Impressed With What Shoaib Bashir Showed – Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes emphasized that Shoaib Bashir’s height and delivery style could bring natural variation to the team, making his inclusion straightforward. The all-rounder expressed satisfaction that Bashir fulfilled all the criteria the team sought in their spin group.

“I just saw something. The height he bowled from, it was very obvious that he put a lot of action, a lot of revolutions on the ball. It was something I looked at and thought ‘this could be pretty good for India’. The height he delivers the ball from, the amount of natural variation that he can produce, is a handful out here,” Stokes stated.

“When it came to selection of the squad, there wasn’t too much thought around him because everyone was very, very impressed with what Bash showed. Everything we wanted in our spin group was answered by Bashir,” he further added.

Tom Hartley, who impressed with a seven-wicket haul in the second innings, is set to maintain his spot alongside Rehan Ahmed for the upcoming match. The England team secured a 28-run victory on Day 4 while successfully defending a target of 230.

The Ben Stokes-led team will lock horns with the Rohit Sharma-led team in the second Test match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, starting on Friday, February 2.

Also read: Revealed: Why Jack Leach is not bowling in the 4th innings against India