England left-arm spinner Jack Leach developed lower back symptoms during England’s victory over Ireland at Lord’s on Saturday; watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports Cricket from Friday June 16 (9.30am on air ahead of an 11am start)
England spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the men’s Ashes with a lower back stress fracture.
The 31-year-old Somerset slow left-armer developed lower back symptoms during England’s victory over Ireland in their one-off Test at Lord’s this week.
Leach claimed four wickets during the 10-wicket win, bowling 20 overs in Ireland’s second innings on Saturday.
A scan on Sunday in London revealed a stress fracture, which will keep him out of the forthcoming Ashes Test series which gets under way at Edgbaston on Friday 16 June.
At statement released by the ECB said: “England will announce a replacement for the series in due course.”
Leach has taken 124 wickets at an average of 34.18 in 35 Tests for England. In seven Ashes appearances, he has claimed 18 wickets at 35.05 apiece.
In the last series on home soil in 2019, Leach is fondly remembered for his ‘heroics’ with the bat and his one not out as part of a 76-run partnership with Ben Stokes as the England all-rounder smashed a stunning, match-winning 135.
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Leach has established himself as England’s premier spinner under Stokes’ captaincy and was the only specialist slow-bowler named in the 16-man squad on Saturday for the first two Tests.
The only other spinners to earn Test caps over that period are Rehan Ahmed, Matt Parkinson, as well as all-rounder options Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone.
Leicestershire 18-year-old leg-spinner Ahmed became England’s youngest male Test debutant on the tour of Pakistan last winter, impressing with seven wickets at an average of 19.57, including a five-for.
Surrey off-spinner Jacks played two Tests on the same tour, taking six-for on debut. Livingstone also made his Test debut in Pakistan but was injured and did not bowl.
Parkinson came in as a concussion substitute for Leach in the Lord’s Test against New Zealand last summer but the Lancashire leg-spinner has seemingly since fallen down the pecking order, being loaned to Durham earlier this season.
Nottinghamshire’s left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White could also come into contention as a more like-for-like replacement for Leach.