He snared seven wickets for 69 runs in 24.3 overs.
England spinner Jack Leach showed his class again in the County Championship 2025 fixture against Hampshire in Taunton. He has been in tremendous form this season, but churned out one of his best spells to put Hampshire in a precarious situation.
Leach snared seven wickets for 69 runs in 24.3 overs against a quality batting unit and registered his best figures of this edition. After removing the top three, he went on to dismiss other skilful all-rounders like Washington Sundar and James Fuller to break the opponent’s batting attack and not allow them to settle, bundling them on 172.
His bowling figures of 7/69 were his third-best in a rich First Class career, with only 8/85 against Essex in 2018 and 7/50 against Durham in 2024 being better. Notably, both were at the same venue – Taunton – where he has played ample cricket and understands it better than many other bowlers in the circuit.
Leach is currently the joint second-leading wicket-taker in the competition, with 48 wickets at an average of 23.20 and a strike rate of 55.27 in 20 outings, including three five-wicket hauls. No other spinner has been as impactful as him in this English summer.
Since the County Championship 2024, Jack Leach has been England’s most prolific spinner, with 93 wickets at an average of 23 in 36 outings, comprising as many as eight five-fors. No other spinner in the circuit averages better, and even if the surface in Taunton has played a major role, he has shown skills against the best of the batters.
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Leach should be in contention for an Ashes 2025 spot, though the management has seemingly moved on from him. In terms of skill sets, he is still among the best available in the country, and his wicket-taking ability has only improved in the last couple of seasons.
Even Nathan Lyon, among the best finger spinners ever, heaped praise on him and labelled him ‘England’s best spinner’ at the moment. Obviously, the team’s idea to have a tall tweaker with a high release point has helped Shoaib Bashir get consistent chances, but apart from his attributes, he has not picked up as many wickets as his average of 39 suggests.
The worst part is that he often lacks control and gives loose stuff in almost every over. The pitches have changed in recent years, and spinners must bring control so that pacers can do the wicket-taking job from the other end, which makes Bashir vulnerable and Leach a better option.
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