Another ‘Wood’ is out of the Ashes. As if the trail of 2-0 wasn’t enough, England have dealt another severe blow. Their bustling pacer Mark Wood has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes Test series due to the recurrence of the left-knee injury he endured in the opening Ashes Test in Perth. Yorkshire pacer Matthew Fischer has been named as his replacement, with the likes of Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue still in the squad.
Ashes: Mark Wood leaves, England in crisis
Wood’s exit comes just hours after Australia confirmed Josh Hazlewood would miss the remaining games of the series with an Achilles issue, leaving both teams short of senior fast-bowling options ahead of a third Test in Adelaide starting December 17. But with England already staring at a 2-0 deficit and facing heavy scrutiny over the future of Bazball, losing their fastest bowler is a major setback.
The 35-year-old had knee surgery earlier this year after hobbling out of England’s Champions Trophy campaign in February. The Perth Test was his first appearance in red-ball cricket in 15 months, but he bowled just 11 wicketless overs before reporting significant discomfort. Following medical scans, Wood flew to Brisbane wearing a knee brace and was referred to a specialist. Hopes of a late return in Melbourne or Sydney have now been scrapped.
“Wood will return home later this week and will work closely with the ECB medical team on his rehabilitation and recovery,” the ECB said in a statement, acknowledging that time and workload are catching up with the veteran quick who has spent much of the last two years battling injuries.
Matthew Fisher, who made his only Test appearance in 2022 against West Indies, will now join the squad. The six-foot-two seamer is currently in Australia with the England Lions and will link up with the senior group immediately. Despite his limited Test experience, Fisher’s inclusion suggests England could rotate further, with Matthew Potts or Josh Tongue now likely to partner Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse. One of Atkinson or Carse could be dropped as well.
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