Ashes 2023: Big setback for England as Jack Leach ruled out due to stress fracture in lower back

England suffered a massive setback as ace spinner Jack Leach got ruled out of the upcoming Ashes due to a stress fracture in his lower back. Following a ten-wicket win over Ireland in a one-off Test on Saturday, Leach developed ‘low back symptoms’ and is now ruled out of the entire five-match series, starting with the first Test on June 16th in Edgbaston.

The left-arm orthodox, Leach was part of the 16-man squad announced for the first two Tests. England will announce his replacement in due course.

Against Ireland, Leach picked up four wickets and was instrumental in helping England start extended summer on a winning note. 

Leach, Leeds and history

Having made his Test debut five years back in 2018, Leach gained popularity for his unforgettable partnership with current skipper Ben Stokes during the 2019 Leed’s Test against Australia.

The famous Test saw Leach stitching a 76-run stand for the final wicket in the fourth innings, off which he only scored one run – that too, regarded as the most-important one run in England’s Test history, given what was at stake. Facing the daunting bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon – three out of whom are likely to feature in the first Test this time, Leach and Stokes weathered the storm and helped England win the match with one wicket in hand.

Needing two to win, Leach took a single and brought Stokes on the crease – who was batting on 131*. The two-time World Cup winner with England at the crease, Stokes kept his cool and scored a boundary to seal the win for England. 

Though he made headlines for sticking around in that partnership with Stokes, the 31-year-old fared well with the ball, picking 12 wickets from four Tests.

Blow to England

Injury at this hour means ECB will name his replacement quickly, and it should be someone they can bank upon for the major chunk of the series. With England already without seamers – Jofra Archer and Olly Stone, absence of Leach could hamper their chances of putting Australia on the mat in the home Ashes.

Here’s England’s 16-man squad for the first two Tests –

Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood