Josh Hull ruled out England’s tour of Pakistan

Josh Hull, England’s latest Test debutant, has pulled out of the Test tour of Pakistan after sustaining a quadricep injury.

The 6ft 7in left-arm seamer won a shock call-up into the team for their last Test of the summer against Sri Lanka at The Oval earlier this month, despite a previous first-class record of only 16 wickets in 10 matches.

Hull’s selection, at the age of 20, was another indication of England’s desire to fast-track players who are thought to have the raw materials to be successful in Test cricket.

The Leicestershire bowler took three for 91 in the match but suffered a thigh injury. After initially withdrawing from the white-ball series against Australia, he has now withdrawn from the Test series, which begins in Multan on October 7. No replacement has been summoned, with England already taking 16 players on the tour.

Shotgun wedding for Stone

Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse will make up England’s pace bowling options. Stone is planning to be involved in all three Test matches, despite his wedding falling on October 12 — the day after the first Test, and just three days before the second begins.

“When you get an opportunity like that to get in the mix, you want to keep on going,” Hull told The Cricketer magazine. “They fly on October 1 so it was a bit of a push but there are a few opportunities for the winter now and we’ll see what happens.”

Hull also reflected on his surprise elevation to Test cricket.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” he said. “It’s been a crazy experience but I’ve got a little niggle at the minute.

“It’s given me a lot to think about in terms of where I want to improve to get to play at that level. It was, hopefully, the start of a journey.”

Ben Stokes is unlikely to bowl at the start of the series but an ECB statement on Wednesday said he “remains on track” to captain the side after tearing his hamstring in The Hundred last month.