‘I’ve been warned to stop picking up my kids with my right arm,’ – Mark Wood speaks of his elbow injury

Mark Wood‘s right elbow recently sustained a stress injury. The England pacer disclosed that he has been instructed to use his left hand for all tasks and to completely rest his right hand.

The 34-year-old pacer Wood’s ailment was discovered by medical scans, and he will miss the rest of 2024 due to it. The seasoned cricket player revealed that he has been told not to even use his right hand to pick up his children.

“Really, there’s nothing I can do with my right side. I’ve been warned not to use my right arm when scooping up my children. In an interview for BBC’s Test Match Special, Wood discussed the injury and remarked, “I have to do everything with my left.”

During England’s three-match Test series against Sri Lanka last month, the injury was initially discovered. At first, Wood’s groin injury kept him out of action, but as he was getting scans for the groin problem, something seemed off with his elbow. His right elbow had bone stress, as shown by the scans, and the doctors prescribed more testing to determine whether the injury would worsen and result in a stress fracture. Wood hopes to resume playing competitive cricket in the new year, but more testing will be necessary to determine the full degree of the injury.

It was an odd injury. Fast bowlers sometimes have tight elbows, so I went for a scan after feeling like I had a slight groin tweak. They discovered bone tension in my elbow, which made me think that I would require an injection. I guess I was messing around with it,” Wood added, elaborating on the unexpected nature of the diagnosis.

Mark Wood intends to make his comeback with a white-ball tour of India.

According to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Wood hopes to return to full fitness by the beginning of 2025. His goals are the February 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and England’s white-ball tour of India.

Wood’s explosive pace has been an invaluable asset to the team, especially in the lead-up to England’s 2025–2026 Ashes campaign in Australia.

Also Read: Mark Wood awaits a specialist’s judgement to ease his elbow fracture fears

Wood’s talents will be greatly missed by the Three Lions in their red-ball squad, as Jofra Archer has yet to make his Test comeback and James Anderson retired earlier this year.