Jack Leach will be out for the summer with a stress fracture. He is ruled out for the all-important Ashes series. With just 11 days remaining for the Ashes to begin, the English team will need to make the tough call to select a replacement for the left-arm spinner. Ben Stokes’ somewhat dodgy knee already has raised concerns over the bowling attack for the Ashes. Leach’s role of holding up one end with control as the pacers rest was already very crucial.
Who would replace Jack Leach?
Joe Root
Joe Root can turn his arm over and provide support to the bowling attack till the time Stokes recovers and is fit to bowl. If Root is able to play as the premier off-spinner, it will allow England to select 4 pacer bowling attack. England will fancy their chances of challenging Australia more with a 4 pacer bowling attack. In 130 test matches, Root has picked up 54 wickets at an average of 46.07. Once Stokes is fit to bowl and take the duties of the 4th pacer, then England can pick a spinner, until then Root’s off-spin might be their best option.
Dom Bess
Dominic Bess is probably the closest option that England has who can offer the same amount of control as Leach while holding up one end with his right-arm off-spin bowling. Bess has already played 14 test matches where he has picked up 36 wickets at an average of close to 34. He has two 5-wicket hauls to his name. He is a pretty handy option with the bat as well. In 14 matches he has scored 319 runs and even has a fifty. With England committed to playing with the Bazball style of play, any batting prowess would help their cause.
Rehan Ahmed
Rehan Ahmed is currently 18 years old and doesn’t turn 19 until August later this year. The right-arm leg-spinner has played only a solitary game in Pakistan. He picked 7 wickets in his debut game as he bowled close to 37 overs at a batting paradise pitch in the National Stadium in Karachi. Even though Rehan won’t be able to provide the same amount of control that Jack Leach can provide but his rapid leg-spin bowling can prove to be crucial for the hosts in the Ashes. If Stokes can play as an all-rounder then his chances of donning the whites for England could increase substantially.
Will Jacks
Will Jacks too made his debut in Pakistan in December 2022. He picked 6 wickets in the first innings of his debut game. In the rest of the three innings in Pakistan, he failed to pick up any wickets and was then replaced by Rehan Ahmed.
Matthew Parkinson
Last year Matt Parkinson became the first concussion sub in history for England. Guess who he replaced?… The answer is Jack Leach. In the solitary test match he has played so far against New Zealand at Lord’s, he has picked up only 1 wicket.
Moeen Ali
Even though Moeen Ali has officially retired from Test cricket, he had expressed his desire to play under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. With The Hundred scheduled to start after the last Ashes, there is a possible window where the 35-year-old can play a bit of Test cricket. He represented England in 64 test matches before retiring and took 195 wickets. He can provide even further batting depth to the Bazball style of play as his aggressive batting approach can help England on flat pitches.
Also Read: Ashes: Moeen Ali is back in squad, a look at his performance
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