Josh Hull's quad injury sidelines him from England's Test tour of Pakistan, shifting focus to recovery for future white-ball opportunities, while the team prepares with a strong bowling lineup for upcoming challenges.
Josh Hull will be absent from England's Test tour to Pakistan due to a quadriceps injury. The 6ft 7in left-arm fast bowler was unexpectedly included in the Test squad for their concluding match of the summer against Sri Lanka earlier this month, despite having a modest first-class record of 16 wickets from 10 matches.
He concluded his debut with respectable match statistics of three wickets for 91 runs; however, his first Test experience ended on a disappointing note due to a thigh injury that prevented him from participating in the T20 and ODI series against Australia. Initially, it was believed that this issue would not be severe enough to exclude the 20-year-old newcomer from the upcoming three-match Test series against Pakistan, which is set to begin in Multan on October 7.
Unfortunately, Hull has accepted that he will miss out on his first international tour, and the England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that no replacement player will be called up. Hull is now concentrating on getting fit for the white-ball tour in the Caribbean scheduled for late October and November, while England also has a Test series against New Zealand planned for December.
In an interview with The Cricketer regarding his recent experiences with the England team, he commented, 'It hasn't fully registered yet. It's been quite a remarkable experience, but I'm dealing with a minor issue at the moment. I believe I'm out for the Pakistan tour. They depart on October 1, so it was a bit of a stretch, but there are several opportunities coming up this winter that I’m looking forward to. It's frustrating timing, especially with the white-ball matches on the horizon. When you receive such an opportunity to be part of the team, you want to keep that momentum going. This situation has provided me with a lot of reflection on how I can improve to reach that level of play. I hope this marks the beginning of my journey.'
With Hull unavailable, the primary fast bowling choices for the 16-member squad for Pakistan are Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson, and Brydon Carse. Although Ben Stokes is expected to be unable to bowl at the beginning of the series, an ECB statement released on Wednesday indicated that he 'remains on track' to lead the team following a hamstring tear sustained during The Hundred last month.
