Fundamentals Over Flamboyance.

Jack Leach doesn’t do arrogance. Nicknamed ‘The Nut’—a nod to his peanut-shaped head—exemplifies this point. In an age of polished athlete-influencers, relentless self-promotion and micro-managed public relations, Leachy is a real one: lets the numbers do the talking.

140 Test wickets. That 1* at Headingley. A century at Lord’s, winning wickets in Rawalpindi. Ten in Sri Lanka. 400+ first-class scalps for Somerset. A cult hero doing the hard yards in the barren lands of English spin.

So, Jack Leach, England spinner, centurion and cult icon: what’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?

“A couple of times, I’ve had people go, ‘Ah, you’re actually pretty good.’ Maybe before, they didn’t think so. But yeah, that’s always nice.”

Right.

It all begins to add up. His game isn’t built on flamboyance, but fundamentals—hours in the nets, relentless refinement, a mindset forged in the grind of spin bowling in England.

“A lot of my game has come from working hard. It sounds cliché, but it’s the truth.”

But there’s also the humbling experience of going to Australia (besides the scoreline), and getting pelters from pissed Aussies. Something our reliable, friendly and respectful English punters would never do. 

“Signing someone’s head in Australia was a weird one," he reflects. "I was getting a load of stick at fine leg. They kept asking me to sign this bloke’s head. For 20 minutes, I thought, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it.’ Eventually, I caved, signed it, and they all went, ‘Waaayyyy!’ I think they liked me for about two seconds. Then they went straight back to abusing me.”

A grounding experience — the sort of ordeal people say, “you’ll grow from.” While others might take a few months to recalibrate the sportsman ego, it was back to grinding away, toiling on flat decks and doing the hard yards others won’t.

In the ‘techno rave’ style that is Bazball, Leachy is our designated driver. While Stokes etc. are on the dancefloor with glowsticks, reverse scooping, soaking in thumping techno, Leach stands on the edge, mildly bewildered by the scene, offering water. Reliable, unflappable — maybe even sensible. 

“Early on with England, I kept thinking, ‘What I do isn’t enough, I need to be better.’ But trying to change actually made me worse. You have to trust why you were picked in the first place. You can’t chase perfection. It’s a cruel game. You just have to be who you are.

Sure, I’d love to bowl like Nathan Lyon or Jadeja, but the key is taking little bits from them while still knowing what you do best.”

“Before that game in Pakistan,” Leachy told us, referring to his 10-fer in a famous England victory where he took the final wicket late in the day, “I was ill and didn’t think I’d play. Stokesy convinced me I was fine. We scored 500 on day one — on the flattest wicket I’ve ever seen. I thought we’d get no result, but we did.”

“And then there’s Headingley 2019. That was a truly out-of-body experience. When it comes up, I always try to remember where I was. I have to remind myself — I was at the other end, watching Stokesy. Best seat in the house.

“It feels like a lifetime ago, but it’s a moment I’ll carry forever.”

Leachy, the nut, Somersets favourite son, the real hero of headingley.

Stay tuned for more content with Jack on our Instagram. 

Editorial Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. In the imagery, Jack is wearing a vintage Somerset AXA Life League shirt from 1997.

Issue: Jack Leach Exclusive
Publisher: J. LaLonde
Editor-At-Large: Angus Wilson
Editor: Ollie Goodwin