NEW DELHI: England's left-arm spinner Jack Leach expressed concerns over his international cricket career after missing the home summer matches due to a knee injury. Leach, 33, sustained the injury in January during the first Test against India in Hyderabad.
Leach has been recalled to the England Test team for the current tour of Pakistan, where he has taken 14 wickets in two games at Multan.
Speaking to BBC Sport before the series decider at Rawalpindi, Leach said, "After a long time out with injury, I felt maybe that might be it, even though I knew this tour was the other side of the summer."
Leach emphasized the importance of focusing on his recovery and performance. "At that point, it was very much about me getting back to my best and enjoying my cricket, and being injury-free for a good amount of time," he added.
During Leach's absence, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir became a regular player for the England Test team. Leach acknowledged Bashir's impact, commenting, "If you're not able to stay fit, then other people come in and do well, and Bash certainly did that. A lot of it doesn't need to be explained. I know what the situation was. It was just about me getting back to fitness. Then, from that, you take wickets and build confidence. That's what I went away and did."
Leach also spoke about his relationship with Bashir, who is also a fellow Somerset player in domestic cricket. He remarked, "We've got a really good relationship. Bash has got off to an amazing start. His talent is amazing. He has got such a high ceiling and he's on the way to that. That's exciting for English cricket."
Looking ahead, Leach kept an open mind about his future at Somerset and England. "It might be different at Somerset next year. Who knows? For me, it's quite a fluid thing. Those are things I can't control. Somerset and England are the teams I've been playing for. If they want to pick me, then I'll give everything to them. That's all I want to focus on," he said.
Leach, who has taken 140 wickets in 38 Tests, concluded by saying that England has not yet assessed the pitch in Rawalpindi. "I don't know what to expect. I haven't seen anything. We'll go to training tomorrow, have a look at it. I feel quite clear about what I'm doing. That doesn't really change depending on the wicket," he stated.
Leach has been recalled to the England Test team for the current tour of Pakistan, where he has taken 14 wickets in two games at Multan.
Speaking to BBC Sport before the series decider at Rawalpindi, Leach said, "After a long time out with injury, I felt maybe that might be it, even though I knew this tour was the other side of the summer."
Leach emphasized the importance of focusing on his recovery and performance. "At that point, it was very much about me getting back to my best and enjoying my cricket, and being injury-free for a good amount of time," he added.
During Leach's absence, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir became a regular player for the England Test team. Leach acknowledged Bashir's impact, commenting, "If you're not able to stay fit, then other people come in and do well, and Bash certainly did that. A lot of it doesn't need to be explained. I know what the situation was. It was just about me getting back to fitness. Then, from that, you take wickets and build confidence. That's what I went away and did."
Leach also spoke about his relationship with Bashir, who is also a fellow Somerset player in domestic cricket. He remarked, "We've got a really good relationship. Bash has got off to an amazing start. His talent is amazing. He has got such a high ceiling and he's on the way to that. That's exciting for English cricket."
Looking ahead, Leach kept an open mind about his future at Somerset and England. "It might be different at Somerset next year. Who knows? For me, it's quite a fluid thing. Those are things I can't control. Somerset and England are the teams I've been playing for. If they want to pick me, then I'll give everything to them. That's all I want to focus on," he said.
Leach, who has taken 140 wickets in 38 Tests, concluded by saying that England has not yet assessed the pitch in Rawalpindi. "I don't know what to expect. I haven't seen anything. We'll go to training tomorrow, have a look at it. I feel quite clear about what I'm doing. That doesn't really change depending on the wicket," he stated.
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