The injury list keeps growing longer for England. With Ashes less than two weeks away, Ben Stokes & Co have been dealt a huge blow. Experienced spinner Jack Leach is all set to miss Ashes 2023 with a lower back stress fracture. England have not named a replacement yet. England vs Australia series begins on June 16 in Birmingham.
“The 31-year-old Somerset slow-left-armer developed low back symptoms during England’s Test victory over Ireland on Saturday. A scan on Sunday in London has revealed a stress fracture, which will keep him out of the forthcoming Ashes Test series, which gets underway at Edgbaston on Friday 16 June. England will announce a replacement for the Ashes series in due course,” England & Wales Cricket Board said in a statement on Sunday.
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Leach’s absence is a blow to England’s strategy, with the left-arm spinner having been a key part of the bowling attack under Ben Stokes’ captaincy.
Since Stokes took charge ahead of the 2022 English Summer, no player has bowled more for England in Test cricket than Leach.
In fact, the spinner has sent down close to 200 overs more than anyone else in an English shirt in that time.
Leach’s absence will leave England with a selection dilemma, with no obvious spin replacement available.
Spin-bowling all-rounders Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone both featured in the December Test series in Pakistan, as did 18-year-old Rehan Ahmed, who had starred earlier in the year in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.
All three are likely to be considered for selection in the Ashes, with an alternative approach seeing England pick an additional seamer, with seven currently named in the squad, and relying on Joe Root’s part-time spin.
The Ashes begins on June 16 with the first Test in Birmingham.
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Joe Root, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Dan Lawrence, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Josh Tongue.
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