"Josh Hull's hopes of debuting in England's Test tour of Pakistan dashed by a quad injury, as the young seamer sets sights on recovery for future international opportunities this winter and beyond."
Josh Hull will be absent from England's Test tour to Pakistan due to a quadriceps injury. The 6-foot-7-inch left-arm fast bowler was unexpectedly included in the Test squad for their last assignment of the summer against Sri Lanka earlier this month, despite having a limited first-class record of 16 wickets from 10 matches.
He concluded his match with respectable figures of three wickets for 91 runs, but his Test debut 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 the 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.
Despite his efforts, 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 will be called up. He is now prioritizing his recovery in preparation for the upcoming white-ball tour to the Caribbean scheduled for late October and November, while England also has a Test series against New Zealand lined up for December.
In an interview with The Cricketer regarding his recent experiences with the England team, he remarked: 'It hasn't fully hit me yet. It's been quite an overwhelming experience, but I'm currently dealing with a minor injury. I think I will miss the trip to Pakistan. They depart on October 1, so it was a bit of a stretch for me, but there are still several opportunities coming up this winter that I can look forward to. It’s a frustrating time because we had the white-ball matches ahead. When you're presented with an opportunity like that, you want to seize it and keep advancing. It's prompted a lot of reflection on how I can improve to reach that level of play. I was hoping this would be the beginning of my journey.'
With Hull sidelined, the primary fast bowling options for the 16-member squad for Pakistan now include Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson, and Brydon Carse. Although Ben Stokes is not expected to bowl at the beginning of the series, a statement from the ECB on Wednesday indicated that he 'remains on track' to lead the team after sustaining a hamstring injury during The Hundred last month.
