England player Jack Leach was ruled out of the rest of the Test series in India
After failing to recover from a knee injury, Jack Leach has been ruled out of the rest of England's Test series against India. He damaged his left knee fielding on the opening day of the first Test in Hyderabad, diving to stop a boundary and colliding with the ground. He then exacerbated the injury on the second morning.
The extent of the swelling of the knee meant he was unable to move freely, restricting him to a maximum of four-over spells for the remainder of the test. Because of the lack of improvement, Leach was also ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which India won to square the series.
Following further assessment in Abu Dhabi, where the England team has been based during this gap, Leach has decided to return home for further treatment and miss the last three Tests.
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 also confirmed that they will not be calling up a replacement for Leach, who has been Ben Stokes' primary spinner throughout his tenure. It means now the spin options of England are now limited to the young trio of Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, and Shoaib Bashir.