England’s left-arm seamer Josh Hull is ruled out of the test tour of Pakistan because his persistent quad injury does not recover in time. Hull, suffered the injury during his debut in the last test of the summer against Sri Lanka at The Kia Oval.
ECB confirmed on Thursday that Hull will now miss the three-test series that gets underway on October 7th, 2024 in Multan. England do not name any replacement but will instead go into the tour with a 16-man squad.
What Is A Quad Injury?
A quad injury refers to a strain or tear of the quadriceps muscles. The quadriceps are four muscles at the front side of the thigh and are responsible for straightening the knee and play a vital function in walking, running, and jumping. As a whole, quad injuries occur because of overuse and sudden jerky movements, and trauma, possibly while playing games or undergoing some form of physical activity. A Quad injury can range from mild strains where the muscle fibers are simply overextended up to complete tears that result in severe pain, swelling, and loss of function.
Treatment For A Quad Injury
This typically includes the RICE protocol: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. This means that the affected leg should ideally be rested not to compound the damage further, and on applying ice, there is a reduction in inflammation and pain. The swelling can be minimized by elevating the leg and applying compression in the form of an elastic bandage. Once the initial pain subsides, physical therapy and stretching exercises are often initiated. In extreme cases, drug interventions like anti-inflammatory drugs or even corticosteroid injections, surgery, may become necessary. Recovery times are related to the severity of injury while proper rehabilitation avoids later complications.
Why Is Hull Special?
Hull’s introduction was seen as a step forward to hasten his development and with that 6ft 7in frame and left-arm angle, was something of a test on the opposition batsmen, making the swing into right-handers a real attraction as England’s selectors looked towards longer-term planning for the next Ashes series.
Uncertain Future
It is unknown whether Hull will travel to New Zealand as part of the team for the tour ahead of England, as he begins his recovery under the supervision of the ECB.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
