England call up Jack Leach to replace injured Mason Crane

Jack Leach, Somerset’s left-arm spinner and the outstanding bowler on England Lions tour of the West Indies, has been called up for the Test squad to replace Mason Crane, Hampshire’s 21 year-old legspinner, who has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back which is likely to keep him out for about 10 weeks.

On arriving in New Zealand Crane had two scans on his back which had troubled him during the Lions tour of the West Indies, and was ruled out of the two-Test series which starts in Auckland on Thursday. Leach, 26, is due to arrive in time but England are unlikely to need a second spinner under lights with a pink ball jagging around for the pace bowlers.

Leach took 18 wickets in the three-Test A series in the West Indies on turning pitches but could not prevent England losing 3-0, with his West Indian slow left-arm counterpart Jomel Warrican the regular match-winner.

Crane made his Test debut in Sydney amid high hopes that he could take re-create his success in his one-off Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales but finished with figures of one wicket for 193 off 48 overs. Stuart MacGill, the Australian wristspinner, had been flown to New Zealand to give Crane a week’s tuition, so their net-sessions together have been curtailed.

The second Test in Christchurch is a day-game but again there is little prospect of England playing a specialist spinner in addition to Moeen Ali, because it is late autumn. Also, Joe Root took three wickets with his off-spin in England’s day of bowling with a red ball in Hamilton, as did Moeen Ali.

The pick of England’s seamers was Stuart Broad as the New Zealand side - not so strong as the team that batted against England when armed with a pink ball on Wednesday - lost their first 10 wickets for 232 off 71.3 overs before they batted a second time round, ending the day on 287 for 13 wickets.

Broad was not given the new red ball in line with Root’s plan of preparing for life after James Anderson and Broad. Chris Woakes opened with Anderson, with Broad as first change, and the intensity of England’s pace attack was spread more evenly through the day rather being concentrated in the first few overs of the new ball.

Broad had two catchable chances dropped in his first two overs - a regulation chance at shoulder height to James Vince in the gully, and a hard one to Dawid Malan’s left at third slip - as he settled well in his new role. In the first Test Broad, on 399 wickets, might still open the bowling with Anderson but Root at least has options.

Ben Stokes did not bowl owing to a stiff back but will bat on the fourth and last day of middle-practice, and aims to bowl in Auckland on Tuesday to prove his fitness for the first Test. Craig Overton bowled steadily but the pecking order among England’s seamers - after Anderson and Broad - looks to be Woakes, Mark Wood, then Overton.