By Malcolm Conn
It is becoming a curse to be an England bowler, as Jack Leach has found out little more than a week away from the Ashes.
Already short on spinners, England have lost the best of their modest slow bowlers after Leach was ruled out for the entire five-Test series, which begins at Edgbaston on June 16.
The loss comes as Australia ruled paceman Josh Hazlewood out of the World Championship final, against India at the Oval beginning on Wednesday, to save him for the Ashes. Scott Boland is expected to play in Hazlewood’s place.
If England are to continue their attacking, gung-ho approach in the “Bazball” era they could opt for 18-year-old leg-spinning sensation Rehan Ahmed as a replacement for Leach.
He became the youngest man to play Test cricket for England on his debut in Karachi last December. In his only Test, he claimed a pivotal 5-48 in the second innings to finish with seven wickets for the match.
However, he is still considered raw and there are concerns about the way the Australians attack spinners, with Leach suffering at times. A recall for Moeen Ali is another option. Ali’s last Test match was in September 2021 against India at the Oval.
Jack Leach claims a wicket during England’s just completed Test against Ireland. Credit: Getty
There was some good news for England on the bowling front, with debutant paceman Josh Tongue claiming 5-66 in the second innings of England’s 10-wicket victory over Ireland on Sunday.
Rushed into the squad as cover for injured pair Jimmy Anderson (groin) and Ollie Robinson (ankle), Tongue was preferred ahead of Lord’s specialist Chris Woakes, 34, who averages 61.2 with the bat and 11.3 with the ball in five Tests at the ground. Tongue had never played at Lord’s.
Jofra Archer is out of the entire Test summer due to a recurrence of the stress-fracture of his right elbow, while Olly Stone is out until at least the third Ashes Test with a hamstring injury. Other pace options Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse are also injured.
The England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement saying Leach had been ruled of the Ashes series after a scan on Sunday in London revealed a lower back stress fracture.
“The 31-year-old Somerset slow left-armer developed low-back symptoms during England’s Test victory over Ireland on Saturday,” the statement said.
Leach is the only bowler to have played all 13 Tests in the Bazball era, under new coach Brendon McCullum, claiming 45 wickets to become England’s leading bowler.
His loss could be telling, given captain Ben Stokes’ struggles with a knee injury. He did not bowl a single over against Ireland during a Test which lasted three days.
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