• Bowler hit hard by gastroenteritis and flu before Centurion Test• Player struggled to recover from sepsis on
New Zealand tour
Jack Leach, England’s senior spinner on the tour to
South Africa, is to return home with immediate effect. The Somerset left-armer has had the most ill-fated of winters. He has struggled to fully recover from sepsis, which is now known he picked up during the tour of New Zealand in November. Then before the Centurion Test he contracted the gastroenteritis and flu that hit the touring camp. Having endured Crohn’s disease, Leach has a weak immune system.
The announcement from the
England and Wales
Cricket Board read: “[Jack Leach] has not been able to reach the expected levels of fitness to be considered for selection.”