Leicestershire left-arm seamer Josh Hull has been ruled out of England’s Test series against Pakistan due to a quad injury. The 20-year-old suffered the injury during the final match of his debut Test series against Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval. Although the England Cricket Board (ECB) had hoped for Hull to recover in time for the Pakistan tour, medical scans on Thursday confirmed he was unfit to play.
Hull’s absence will be a major blow to the English side, given his impressive performance in the Sri Lanka series, where he took a three-wicket haul at an economy rate of 5.35. His promising form had earned him a spot in the Pakistan squad, but the injury forced the ECB to pull him from the ongoing white-ball series against Australia and the upcoming Pakistan Tests.
ECB Continues with 16 man squad for tour of Pakistan
In a statement, the ECB said, “Following his Test debut at Kia Oval this week, Leicestershire seamer Josh Hull is included in the squad for his first senior tour with England.” However, his injury now leaves England with a 16-man squad heading into the tour.
Despite Hull’s withdrawal, England has decided not to name a replacement, opting to proceed with the current squad, which will travel to Pakistan on October 1. The first Test will be held in Multan starting October 7.
Eight members of the squad, including stars like Harry Brook, Joe Root, and Ben Stokes, will be returning to Pakistan following England’s 3-0 Test series victory there in 2022. Stokes, recovering from a hamstring tear, will make his return to lead the team.
Uncapped players Brydon Carse and Jordan Cox are also in the squad and may make their Test debuts during the Pakistan series.
England’s Updated Squad for Pakistan Tests:
Ben Stokes (Captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
