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Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley has been ruled out of the England Lions tour of Australia after he sustained a fractured right hand during a practice session in Brisbane on Thursday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement on Friday to confirm Hartley's latest injury. The board confirmed Hartley will return to the UK to undergo further assessments by the Lancashire medical teams. "Lancashire's Tom Hartley has been ruled out of the England Lions tour of Australia after sustaining a fractured right hand during practice in Brisbane yesterday," the ECB said in a statement. "The spinning all-rounder will return to the UK, where he will undergo further assessment by the Lancashire medical teams," the statement added. The English board has decided to go against the option of adding a player to cover up for Hartley. Hartley featured in all five Tests during England's tour of India last year. He made a strong case to lead England's spin attack, finishing the series with 22 wickets at an average of 36.13. The 25-year-old caught the world's attention when he delivered a match-winning spell that saw him return with figures of 7/62 in the second innings in his debut Test in Hyderabad. Since then, Hartley has slowly found himself down in the pecking order, with England management clearly showing its preference for Shoaib Bashir. After his time in the sub-continent, Hartley earned a call-up to England's T20 World Cup squad. He didn't feature in a single match throughout England's title defence run that lasted till the semi-finals. Hartley's latest setback has dented his hopes of earning a recall in the Ashes 2025, set to begin in October. Hartley was selected with Bashir for the Lions trip, which features three red-ball matches and one unofficial Test. Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff will oversee the tour. England Lions will play the first match on January 14, with a four-day fixture against a Cricket Australia Select XI in Brisbane. (ANI)
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