Rehan Ahmed’s Australia trip has been cut short. The ECB confirmed on Saturday that the 21-year-old leg-spinner picked up “a right lower-leg muscle strain” during the England Lions’ three-day warm-up match against the full Ashes squad in Perth and will fly back to the UK for rehab.
“He’ll start his recovery programme immediately and will be assessed again in due course,” an ECB spokesperson said. No replacement has been named.
Ahmed, batting at No. 5, made a patient 16 from 41 balls on day one before Ben Stokes trapped him lbw – one of six wickets for the England captain. The youngster did not bowl in either innings and sat out the Lions’ second knock altogether, prompting the medical check that confirmed the strain.
The timing is awkward rather than disastrous. Ahmed has already signed a Big Bash deal with Hobart Hurricanes and the BBC understands the injury should clear up before the competition begins in a month. Hurricanes coach Jeff Vaughan sounded relaxed: “We’ve spoken to the ECB. The prognosis is positive and we still expect Rehan to arrive on schedule.”
For the Lions, though, it is a blow. Ian Bell’s side have another four-day fixture at Lilac Hill against a Cricket Australia XI next week, followed by a one-off unofficial Test versus Australia A in December. Ahmed had been pencilled in for both matches and was widely tipped to hang around as injury cover for the Ashes squad once the Lions programme ended.
“He’s been terrific around the group,” Bell said after the Perth game. “Losing any spinner in Australia isn’t ideal, but his long-term fitness is the priority.”
Ahmed missed out on the senior Ashes tour when England opted for Will Jacks as second spinner behind Jack Leach. Whether this setback harms his Test prospects is unclear, yet the consensus is that a fully fit Ahmed remains central to England’s white- and red-ball plans for 2026 and beyond.
