Cricket: England call up Jack Leach to replace Mason Crane for New Zealand series

Jack Leach, the Somerset left-armer, has earned his first senior England call-up after Mason Crane was ruled out of the upcoming Test series in New Zealand with the early signs of a stress fracture to his lower back.

Leach is not only the leading English spinner in the County Championship over the past two seasons but recently claimed 18 wickets for the Lions as the standout bowler during an otherwise chastening 3-0 defeat by West Indies A.

Whether a first Test cap follows for the 26-year-old remains to be seen, with the two-Test series which begins in Auckland next Thursday under floodlights not expected to demand a second spinner alongside Moeen Ali.

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It is nevertheless a blow to Crane, who made his debut in Sydney at the end of England’s 4-0 Ashes defeat. The 21-year-old leg-spinner has been set a 10-week recovery period and will miss the start of Hampshire’s summer.

England’s third day of warm-up cricket continued in Hamilton on Friday with the bowlers claiming 13 wickets against a strong New Zealand XI. Ben Stokes did not bowl due to a back issue – he is due to play the final day as a specialist batsman – and Stuart Broad was again overlooked for the new ball.

Broad is one Test wicket from 400 but has struggled for away movement to the right-handers over the past year and gone two years without a five-wicket haul. He was first change behind Mark Wood in England’s first two-day warm-up while Chris Woakes opened up with Jimmy Anderson in the second.

Anderson admitted the 31-year-old, who claimed 11 wickets at 47 in Australia series, has been stung by the demotion as the England captain, Joe Root, looks to life beyond his established new ball pairing.

“Obviously he is disappointed. He’s a very proud bloke,” Anderson told Sky Sports. “I can see what Joe wants to do with looking to the future, but also having that experience to come on first change.

“Stuart has done a lot of work on his action during the time off between the Ashes and now. He’s looking really threatening.”