ENG vs SL: Mark Wood will not play on Day 4 due to a right thigh injury

The England pacer Mark Wood suffered a right thigh injury at the close of the third day of the first Test match between Sri Lanka and England at Emirates Old Trafford. The player won’t play on Day 4 due to the team doctor closely monitoring his progress, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said after this.

Within eight overs in the first innings of the contest, the 34-year-old claimed the wicket of Kusal Mendis. He bowled well in the first ten overs of the second innings, taking the wicket of the first batsman, Dimuth Karunaratne, but in his eleventh over, the pacer hurt himself and hobbled off the pitch.

Check the post below:

Speedy recovery, Woody 🙏

Mark Wood has sustained a right thigh muscle injury.

He won’t return to the field today and will continue to be assessed by the England medical team. pic.twitter.com/N7IcuzCS4w

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 24, 2024

Interestingly, Joe Root took Milan Rathnayake’s wicket in his second bowl after replacing him for the last four deliveries of his over. Concerns in Sri Lanka grew after the foreign player left for ten runs. After being bowled out for 236 runs in the opening innings, England jumped out to a commanding lead of 122 runs.

The Three Lions were once reduced to 125/4 by the visitors, who had an excellent start with the ball. But when England scored 358 runs, Jamie Smith played a great knock and recorded his first century. In the first innings, Joe Root scored 42 runs, but Harry Brook contributed a significant 56 runs.

In the second innings, Sri Lanka again got off to a rough start. After losing the wickets of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis for a single run, Angelo Mathews seized charge and amassed 65 runs. Subsequently, Kamindu Mendis scored 56* runs and reached a half-century on Day 3; on Day 4, he hopes to surpass that score.

Also Read: When I played against the Sri Lankan team, they paid me much more attention: Nasser Hussain

Day 3 saw the Dhananjaya de Silva-led team score 204/6, taking an 82-run advantage. Though things currently appear difficult for them, Sri Lanka can yet hope to win if they are able to post a strong target on board.