Hartley, 25, played in all five Tests for England on their tour of India between January and March last year, taking 22 wickets in 36.13 seconds, including 7 for 62 in the second innings of his debut in Hyderabad. .
However, he has not been called up since then with off-spinner Shoaib Bashir emerging as England’s preferred option. Hartley was called up to England’s T20 World Cup squad in June but did not feature in the team’s run to the semi-finals.
His injury has dealt a blow to his hopes of claiming a Test recall, especially with the England first-team squad scheduled to return to Australia in October for the 2025-26 Ashes. He and Bashir have been selected for the Lions’ trip to three red-ball matches, including an unofficial Test against Australia A in Sydney from January 30 to February 2.
Hartley will now return to the UK for further assessment by Lancashire medical teams. No substitutes were called up to join the squad.
The tour, which will be overseen by Lions coach Andrew Flintoff, kicks off in earnest with a four-day match against the Cricket Australia Select XI in Brisbane on January 14.
