Opening batter Zak Crawley and left-arm spinner Jack Leach are likely to make a comeback for England for their upcoming Test series against Pakistan.
England will tour Pakistan for a three-match Test series, scheduled to run from October 7 to 24 with matches scheduled in Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi respectively.
Meanwhile, experienced Somerset spinner Jack Leach, who has been out of the England Test side since 2018 is hopeful to make his long-awaited comeback, banking on his magnificent performance in the County Championship.
Leach was one of the most pivotal parts of the Ben Stokes-led England Test team but a series of injuries put him out of the international circuit.
Jack Leach acknowledged the competition from youngster Shoaib Bashir, who made notable inroads early into his Test career, picking up three five-wicket hauls in eight matches but the former remained optimistic that England may pick both the spinners for the Pakistan tour.
“I totally understand the reason why Bash has been selected,” Leach said. “I rate him really highly and think he is already a very good bowler with a lot of promise for the future. We have worked together a lot and I am very proud of him and want to see him flourish. But there is a tour to Pakistan coming up and if England need me, I am more than happy to go.”
“I would imagine they will take more than one spinner and I feel I am getting back to my best after almost a year with niggles that have taken some overcoming. You don’t always realise how hard it is to come back from injuries,” he said.
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“Long spells like I have had against Durham certainly help in that respect. It would be nice if both Shoaib and myself could make the Pakistan tour and there is no reason why that can’t happen. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I am as determined as I ever have been to play for England,” he added.
On the other hand, opening batter Zak Crawley has been out of the action since the last Test of the three-match series against West Indies. He fractured his finger while attempting a catch.
Crawley is now in a race against time as the typical recovery period for a broken finger is approximately six to eight weeks, and the upcoming series against Pakistan was nine weeks away at the time of his injury.
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