England spinner Jack Leach is most well-known for his key supporting role in Ben Stokes ' Headingley miracle.
With England on the verge of defeat in the third Ashes Test, Stokes struck an epic 135 not out to win his side the game and keep the series alive. Leach was at the other end when Stokes struck the winning runs, having shared 73-run partnership with the all-rounder in which he scored one not out.
The innings cemented Leach's status in cricketing folklore, but things almost went dangerously wrong immediately after that series. When England toured New Zealand the following month, Leach suffered food poisoning and was ultimately hospitalised with a bout of sepsis.
He suffers from Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that he was first diagnosed with at the age of 14, and takes immunosuppressant medication to deal with it. As a result of his diminished immune system, a sepsis infection could be life-threatening.
Leach missed the remainder of that series and then did not play at all in the following tour of South Africa after again struggling with illness and getting sent home early. The Coronavirus pandemic then forced the country into lockdown and Leach was informed by the government that his medication made him 'medically vulnerable'.
"I do [feel] a little bit [vulnerable]," Leach told BBC Radio 5 Live. "The medication I'm on does weaken my immune system and I had some illness last winter.
"Looking back at the symptoms I had in South Africa, I do wonder if that was coronavirus. Obviously, from the little stuff I do know, that doesn't mean I couldn't get it again.
"I did get texts at the start [of the pandemic] from the government telling me I'm in the vulnerable category, which was hard to deal with because I felt like I was healthy. I didn't feel ill or anything. That was a little bit scary."
Speaking openly about his experience of living with Crohn's in a video produced by his county Somerset, Leach admitted there were times during lockdown that he felt he may never play for England again. "I did have some sort of illness in South Africa which was very similar to Covid and it went through the group," he said.
"I just couldn't get well after that. I was exhausted, I felt fatigued and my body just couldn't get better. You go to training and you're expected to be at the same level as everyone else and it just wasn't possible. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle.
"There was quite a lot of low moments within those few months where I was trying to build towards something and then it didn't happen. Then we were in lockdown and I felt pretty low at that point, not knowing if I would get another opportunity to play for England.
"I'd been pushing myself so hard for so long and then everything just stopped. I didn't really know what to do or what to put my energy into and I found that a really tricky time.
"I certainly feel when I'm more stressed that my symptoms are worse so it is a circular thing - if you're worried about your Crohn's then that's probably going to make your Crohn's worse."
Reflecting on the impact the disease has had on his cricket career, Leach added: "I think mentally it's had a big impact on me and the link between mental and physical is quite big, just knowing when you're tired because you're playing cricket for a living and when you're actually starting to get a few of the symptoms. I'm someone who likes to train and feel prepared, so mentally it's been tough to hold myself back at times.
"Not being able to do what other teammates can do from a training perspective, over time I've learnt how to manage it and save myself for the times out in the middle. Obviously there are worries of will it have an impact on the amount you're available.
"I've had times where I've lost my place in the team and someone comes in and takes that place and you don't know whether you're going to get it back. Those things that you feel like you can't control are frustrating."
Leach did not play at all in England's two home series' against the West Indies and Pakistan at the height of the pandemic in 2020, but returned to action in the subcontinent that winter. He played in all five Tests against Sri Lanka and India and was England's leading wicket-taker with 28 scalps at an average of 31.14.
Importantly, though, Leach came through the tours fit and healthy after his struggles in New Zealand and South Africa and the concerns over Covid. "I think I got a lot of confidence from the winter in terms of my health, getting through the tours," he said.
"I've learned over the past couple of years that it's relapsed slightly when I've felt under the extreme stress and pressures of playing international sport - it gets a little bit worse with that. To get through the series has given me a lot of confidence that I can play at this level and that my illness isn't going to hold me back."
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