'Shouldn't be playing': England rages over 'barbaric' Ashes farce
England's selection of spinner Jack Leach in the first Ashes Test has been torn apart by a number of former players and the furious UK media.
Leach suffered a nightmarish day on Thursday at the Gabba, with his 11 overs being plundered for 95 runs.
He did take the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, but it seemed to come about more because of the Aussie batter's over-eagerness more than anything.
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At 8.63 runs per over, Leach’s economy rate was the second worst for anyone bowling 10 overs or more in a Test innings, only beaten by the 8.85 of Pakistan’s Yasir Shah against Australia in Sydney in 2017.
Former England spinner Phil Tufnell described Leach's selection as a 'hospital pass' with veteran quicks Stuart Broad and James Anderson overlooked.
“I wasn’t surprised they targeted him whatsoever,” said Tufnell.
“He got a little bit of the rough end of the stick - to be slung in on a green top in Brisbane.
“He got thrown a bit of a hospital pass in my book.
“There were four left-handers in the top seven and they decided to just come out, play some shots and put him under pressure from the off.
“It would have been tricky for any finger spinner to be bowling in those conditions.
“He’s England’s best available spinner, but he shouldn’t be playing. Stuart Broad should have been playing instead of Jack Leach.”
Fellow England great Jonathan Agnew said: “Jack Leach was a bad selection for the pitch.
“You are five (seamers) for this game because you don’t know how fit Ben Stokes is and you can bowl a seamer when you need him.
“It was utterly predictable that Australia were going to attack Leach. It was very obvious that’s what was going to happen.
“I feel sorry for him - he has hardly played since India.”
UK media rips into Jack Leach selection
The Times in the UK described Australia's treatment of Leach as “a barbaric mauling”, while English cricket writer Chris Stocks said Leach can't be picked again.
“Leach is clearly not trusted by captain Joe Root, who opted against picking him for any of last summer’s six home Tests,” he wrote.
“He’s virtually unselectable for the rest of the series.”
Paul Newman of The Daily Mail wrote: “It was brutal. It was pre-meditated.
"And it was a calculated attack that looks likely to knock Jack Leach out of this Ashes and quite possibly beyond.”
All eyes will be on England's injured talisman Stokes at the Gabba on Friday, while paceman Ollie Robinson insists he will be fit and ready to fire.
Stokes and Robinson both pulled up sore on day two of the first Test.
Stokes appeared to hurt his knee in an early fielding mishap and was clearly restricted for the rest of the day, while Robinson clutched at his leg and trudged off the ground after delivering his 18th over.
with AAP
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