India vs England: Injury-ravaged hosts call up rookie Eddie Jack as cover for Josh Tongue

With less than 10 days to go for the first Test against India at Leeds, hosts England are fretting over the availability of their key pace men. For a team that is already missing the services of Jofra Archer for the first Test, Josh Tongue, playing for England Lions against India in the second unofficial Test, hobbled off the field with the nature of his injury yet to be ascertained. With Mark Wood also ruled out of the English summer, and Gus Atkinson still recovering from hamstring injury that he picked up during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe a fortnight ago, England have sent SOS to young pacer Eddie Jack to join the squad as cover. The 19-year-old pacer with just two first-class games by his side featured in the drawn outing against India A that ended on Monday.

Heading into the five-match Test series that starts on June 20, England’s already thin bowling line-up is now heavily dependent on seamer Chris Woakes. The 36-year-old veteran of 57 Tests is the most capped bowler in the squad, whose workload England have to manage cautiously. After picking up an ankle injury in the SA20, Woakes returned to competitive cricket only towards the end of May, where he turned up in one County fixture before getting some mileage in the Lions game against India. With Archer, who is set to return to Test cricket after a gap of four years, delayed at least till second Test, even if he regains full fitness, he is unlikely to play all four matches thereafter with Ashes being the priority for England.

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