As England attempts to keep their valued fast bowler for the rest of the Ashes, Mark Wood is expected to miss the second Test match in Brisbane.
After recovering from knee surgery in March to treat medial ligament damage, Mark Wood made his first competitive appearance in over nine months as a member of an all-pace attack in the first Test at Perth. Additionally, it was his first Test cap since the Old Trafford match against Sri Lanka in August 2024.
It seems sense that England is wary of Wood. He is the world’s quickest bowler when he is at his best. However, given his history of injuries, especially current issues with his left knee that necessitate extensive strapping, and the fact that he turns 36 in January, they must continuously keep an eye on him.
Wood acknowledged he would “definitely not play five” in an interview with Fox Cricket during the first Test in Perth.
After hitting eight overs, including two four-over breaks, in the warm-up match against the England Lions the week before at Lilac Hill, Wood complained of stiffness in his left hamstring, making him a doubt for the first Test. He later demonstrated his fitness at the Perth Stadium nets. On the first day, he bowled quickly, hitting Cameron Green in the grille with a vicious bouncer of 93 mph/150 kph.
Wood bowled just 11 overs in all, returning 0 for 44, and England’s defeat in Perth was so quick that the match lasted only two days. Three of those occurred in the second innings, when Australia reached their goal of 205 in 28.2 overs thanks to a spectacular century from Travis Head.
It seems Wood is being kept back as the tourists try to overcome a 1-0 deficit, as seen by his conspicuous absence from England’s first practice at Allan Border Field on Saturday before Thursday’s pink-ball Test. Wood might be back in the running for the third Test in Adelaide, which starts in eighteen days, if there are no issues.
Wood got nine wickets in the final Test match in Hobart, England’s final pink-ball match in Australia, and was England’s best bowler for the 2021–22 tour (17 wickets at 26.64). Josh Tongue is most likely to take his place, although he will be parked this week.
As a member of the Lions team playing the Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day pink-ball match in Canberra this weekend, Tongue is in a strong position to make his case. Along with Jacob Bethell and Matthew Potts, Tongue is one of three Ashes players who have been cleared to play in the game. Tongue’s increased speed, steepling bounce, and ability to bowl the odd worldie have him at the top of the line, even if Potts will also be considered to replace Wood.
After the eight-wicket loss in Perth, Wood said that he was upset. In order to avoid getting upset during the extra time off, he even looked into using camper vans to go from Western Australia to Queensland. Test captain Ben Stokes said on Saturday that he could see his long-time friend’s point of view.
“He’s so passionate about what he does, some people take disappointment different to others,” Stokes stated. “Woody and I have been friends for a long time, and it’s not just that we play cricket together. He is as disappointed as everyone else in the dressing room. We’ve thought about it this week, completed all of that, and are now concentrating on what needs to be done in Brisbane.”
Stokes acknowledged that calling former players “has-beens” was “completely wrong” in the meantime. Following criticism that England’s Ashes preparations amounted to a single, three-day warm-up match against the Lions at Lilac Hill, Stokes used the latter word to hunt for the former before to the first Test.
Three former England captains, Sir Ian Botham, Graham Gooch, and Michael Atherton, expressed disapproval of the light lead-up to the series. Michael Vaughan took exception at the remarks in his Telegraph column. Stokes responded, “You know exactly what I meant by that,” when asked if he regretted them. It was a slip of the tongue, as everyone knows.
“That’s what I’ve said off the record. I said something there that was just incorrect. Everyone is aware of that, I believe; I was never questioned about it on television to admit that I misspoke. “Has-beens” is a terrible word. It’s the only thing I was able to say at that precise moment.
“Oh my god, I’ll be one of those someday. It’s completely incorrect, and I believe everyone is aware that it’s not what I meant at all.
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