Mark Wood Ashes Blow As England Pace Bowler Ruled Out Of Gabba Test

Mark Wood is group to beryllium ruled retired of England’s adjacent Ashes Test astatine nan Gabba aft reporting soreness successful nan troublesome near knee that required room successful March and forced him to miss nan full location summer.

The eight-wicket conclusion suffered successful Perth past week was Wood’s first competitory cricket since nan Champions Trophy backmost successful February and his first Test outing for 14 months. That he is now struggling aft sending down conscionable 11 overs successful nan first Test is of immense interest fixed nan size of England’s task ahead.

Though a voluntary session, that Wood was missing from England’s return to nan nets astatine Allan Border Field connected Saturday greeting was notable and confirmation soon followed that he had reported soreness successful nan joint. The 2nd Test, starting connected Thursday, is expected to travel excessively soon.

It whitethorn beryllium that conditions successful Brisbane telephone for a spinner to beryllium added to nan onslaught regardless, pinch Shoaib Bashir and Will Jacks nan 2 options. If England want to instrumentality to a five-pronged gait onslaught past Josh Tongue, pinch nan Lions successful Canberra, would astir apt beryllium adjacent successful line.

Wood’s fragility has been a taxable of his stop-start profession but nan deficiency of clip disconnected nan section did not help. The 35-year-old opened nan bowling connected nan 2nd greeting successful Perth arsenic England looked to unopen down Australia’s first innings and was past backmost astatine it aft beverage trying to take sides a mini target of 205 runs.

England’s Mark Wood is struggling aft sending down conscionable 11 overs successful nan first Test successful Perth. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/PA

In betwixt he was successful nan England dressing room pinch his legs successful a “game-ready machine” – a full-length crystal battalion utilized by accelerated bowlers to velocity up betterment – but he was forced to return it disconnected early and strap connected nan pads erstwhile England’s mediate bid collapsed aft lunch.

Speaking to nan For The Love of Cricket podcast, Wood said: “I was utilizing nan crystal instrumentality successful nan backroom. All of a abrupt we commencement losing wickets and I look down [at nan machine] and there’s still 17 minutes to go, past different 1 and it’s 12 minutes left. I thought: ‘I’ve sewage to get disconnected this and get ready!’

“At lunch, we are assessing what’s gone well, and astatine nary constituent did I deliberation that successful nan adjacent hr aliases truthful I’d beryllium bowling again. It was 1 of those days.”

There is nary proposal astatine this shape that Wood’s circuit is complete and different nine-day spread sits betwixt Brisbane and nan 3rd Test successful Adelaide which starts connected 17 December. Still, this latest setback follows an eight-over workout successful England’s warm-up lucifer that led to scans connected a tight hamstring.