Saqib Mahmood will miss the rest of the season after a stress fracture.© AFP
England pace bowler Saqib Mahmood will miss the rest of the season after suffering a stress fracture of the back, cricket leaders announced Monday. After impressing in his first two Test appearances in the West Indies in March, Mahmood was expected to be in the England squad to take on New Zealand at Lord’s on June 2.
But the Lancashire star, 25, is no longer in contention to appear as England Test captain at the start of Ben Stokes’ reign. “After being diagnosed with a lumbar stress fracture, English and Lancashire sailor Saqib Mahmood has been ruled out for the rest of the season,” said a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Fellow England Quicks Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes are all currently out of action.
No timetable has been set for the return of injury-plagued Mahmood, who has made just 28 first-class appearances since making his Lancashire debut in 2016.
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