Broad has been ruled out of the India Test series with a calf injury and he is playing for England against India.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Wednesday that Stuart Broad, the fast bowler, was ruled out of the five-Test series against India due to a calf injury.

This could be the first time in over a decade that England has had to go into a Test without both Stuart Broad and James Anderson, both of whom suffered a double injury setback at Lord’s. For the rest of the five-match series against India, England all-rounder Ben Stokes will not be available after having pulled up with a calf injury before the second Test at Lord’s, which could represent his 150th appearance in international cricket. Meanwhile, Anderson, who is now 39, is battling a thigh injury that he suffered on Wednesday. When warming up on Tuesday, Broad had the injury. It looks as though England is ready to make some changes to their top order and have Moeen Ali in line for a recall as a spin-bowling all-rounder for the team’s second Test match, which is slated to be played at Broad’s home field, Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Broad’s 524 wickets put him in third place on England’s all-time list of most successful Test bowlers, just behind long-time side-armed ally Anderson, who is first with 621 wickets.

According to an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announcement, “England seam bowler Stuart Broad has sustained a tear to his right calf and will miss the upcoming Test series against India.”

Showing tenacity in the face of difficulty

BBC Sport reports that Saqib Mahmood, who has not been capped at Test level, has been added to the squad as cover for Stuart Broad.

For Mahmood, who has previously featured in seven one-day internationals and nine Twenty20 matches, now there are other contenders in the England pace attack, such as Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Craig Overton, and all-rounder Sam Curran.

During the time that Joe Root has captained England, they have played a game without either Anderson or Broad, and it’s been nine years since they both missed one on home soil.

As of this writing, the only surviving member of the England squad from the encounter was Jonny Bairstow.

“They’ve had over a thousand Test wickets between them,” stated Bairstow to reporters on Wednesday, before the team found out that Broad would not play any further part in the series.

Given the injuries that Broad and Anderson suffered, it’s safe to assume that the ECB will have to answer questions regarding their domestic fixture schedule. Neither player now plays in limited-overs matches, so before heading into a big tournament the ECB will have to find a solution to this problem.

However, Yorkshire batter Bairstow noted, “Even in professional sports, there will be injuries, illnesses, and illnesses may appear in an instant. I believe it’s vital that you are able to adapt quickly in a group.”

“Since it happened in the first summer series against Pakistan, when there were possibilities that occurred for others to come in and rise to those challenges, that scenario will play out again this summer.”

Bairstow was alluding to a one-day series in which England defeated 3-0, even though they had to include a fresh team composed exclusively of players who had contracted Covid-19.

Mahmood starred in that ad with nine wickets to his name.

The 24-year-old has just joined the England team, having been promoted after Moeen.

Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire’s Haseeb Hameed may help his fellow batsmen Hameed Hameed and Zak Crawley enter the batting order’s top three spots where Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley have struggled.

Opening hitter Sibley had to go through a 203-ball innings at Trent Bridge to score 46 runs, while Crawley gets only 11 runs per innings in Test cricket this year.

While fast bowler Jofra Archer is out for the year with an elbow injury, England is down to two seasoned all-rounders in Ben Stokes, who is dealing with mental health concerns, and Chris Woakes, who is recovering from a previous injury.