Ben Stokes has confirmed Jack Leach will miss the second Test against India that starts on Friday, with the England captain also revealing his own journey towards bowling again – that is, all-rounder status – is about to get under way.
Leach battled through last week’s 28-run victory in Hyderabad after suffering a badly bruised left knee on day one, an injury that saw the spinner sit out training two days out of the next instalment and cruelly followed last summer’s lower back stress fracture.
Shoaib Bashir, the 20-year-old off-spinner who arrived in India late due to visa complications, is the back up – a possible Test debut for a player with just six first-class matches to date – but the England captain and head coach Brendon McCullum still wanted another look at the pitch at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
“It’s a big shame for Jack and a big shame for us, especially after a long time out of the game with his back,” said Stokes. “It’s frustrating but it’s something we’re assessing every day and the medical team have taken over that. Hopefully it’s not something that’s too serious and keeps him out for longer in the series.”
Asked if the success of Tom Hartley – fourth-innings figures of seven for 62 on debut – has further emboldened the management regarding Bashir, Stokes replied: “He is in the squad, and it’s not that brave to pick someone in the squad to play a Test match. We haven’t brought him here to have an experience. If we feel we want to turn to him, we will.
“What is there to lose? That is how I will be thinking if he gets the chance to play; to make sure I can give him the best experience I possibly can – as enjoyable and fun as possible – because you only play your first Test match once.”
For Stokes, the first step on the road towards being an all-rounder again will start a day out from the second Test with the 32-year-old down to bowl at training for the first time since knee surgery at the end of November. Leaner than ever, and able to pull off an athletic run out in the first Test, Stokes is optimistic of his prospects in the long run.
He added: “This trip is a back-to-bowling programme for me. [The plan to bowl in the nets] is just the start of low-impact bowling, to get the rest of my body going again and keep gradually building that up. I won’t be bowling in the game. But I am looking forward to getting back into it. I have missed it and it is a huge help for the team.”
Asked if his run out of Jadeja – a running, diving, reverse flick – would have been possible before the operation, Stokes replied: “I honestly don’t think so. I would have been thinking about my movements whereas [on Sunday] I didn’t have to.”
