Josh Hull, the left-arm seamer from Leicestershire, has been ruled out of the England men’s Test tour of Pakistan due to a quad injury. The 20-year-old sustained this injury during his debut in the final Test of the summer against Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval. Initially, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) believed Hull would have enough time to recover and subsequently withdrew him from the limited-overs series against Australia.
However, as the injury persisted, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided on Thursday to exclude Hull from the upcoming three-Test series. England will not bring in a replacement and will travel with a 16-man squad to Pakistan on October 1, ahead of the first Test in Multan, which begins on October 7.
Hull’s selection for the tour aimed to fast-track his development as a unique addition to England’s bowling attack. Standing at 6ft 7in, his left-arm angle and ability to swing the ball into right-handers provided a distinctive skill set as selectors looked ahead to the Ashes next winter.
After taking five wickets in a tour match against Sri Lanka, selectors included Hull in the squad after Mark Wood suffered an injury in the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford. His impressive performances in training caught the attention of head coach Brendon McCullum and bowling consultant James Anderson, leading to his unexpected debut at The Oval. Hull showed promise by taking 3 for 53 in the first innings but went wicketless in the second innings, contributing to England’s only Test defeat of the summer.
It remains uncertain if Hull will play in future tours, including the upcoming trip to New Zealand, as the ECB oversees his recovery.
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