England will miss the services of Jack Leach in the second Test against India, scheduled to begin on Friday (February 2). The left-arm spinner was doubtful for the game due to a knee injury and captain Ben Stokes confirmed that he will not be a part of the playing eleven for the crucial game.
The 32-year old suffered the injury during the first Test. He sustained the injury on the very first day when he jarred his leg while fielding. The injury only aggravated as the game progressed and he was forced to play through pain. On Wednesday, he did not train before Ben Stokes confirmed that England will be without their most experienced spinner for the second Test.
“He’s ruled out of the second Test,” Stokes said. “Hopefully, it does not keep him out for longer in the series.”
Jack Leach’s replacement:
With Jack Leach out of the Test, his Somerset teammate Shoaib Bashir could be in line to make his Test debut. The 20-year old was not available for the first Test following a visa delay that was later fixed. According to reports, Bashir impressed the English team-management during the team camp in Abu Dhabi and could be handed his debut cap for the forthcoming game.
“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 (Bashir) showed,” Stokes added. “Everything we wanted in our spin group was answered by Bashir.”
In absence of Leach, England’s spin department will be very low on experience. Rehan Ahmed, who has played two Tests so far, will be the most experienced one. Tom Hartley has played just one Test so far and England will be hoping that the left-arm spinner continues his brilliant start in red-ball cricket.
Hartley picked up 9 wickets in the first Test including 7 in the second innings as England stunned India by 28 runs to take the lead in the five-match series. The second IND vs ENG 2024 Test is scheduled to be played from February 2 in Vizag.
