Mark Wood, arguably England’s quickest bowler, will miss out on the potentially series deciding second Ashes Test in Brisbane. His persistent, longstanding knee concerns have now officially ruled him out of the match. England will miss the 35-year-old Wood’s absence. Unfortunately for them, his presence is indispensable as they seek to string together some momentum after their win in the opening Test fell flat.
Wood had missed the previous nine months recovering from left knee surgery. His return was confirmed when named in the squad for the opening Test in Perth last week. He ended up bowling only 11 overs in the match. It was an awful loss for England and the first two-day Ashes Test in 104 years. No matter how much he tried to make something happen, Wood’s impact was severely restricted, and he ended up with match figures of 0-44.
Before making his return, Wood was on for a lengthy absence from Test cricket. He hadn’t played in 15 months—first with an elbow injury, then after surgery on his left knee. With his absence in Brisbane, it raises the question of how England will choose to bowl for day-night conditions at the Gabba. In fact, they have not won at this venue since 1986. Wood’s pace and experience were key factors in England’s plan to provide intense, short-pitched bowling to Australia in this series.
No tears were found in Wood’s hamstring, the scans have confirmed. He is cleared to play in Perth, despite experiencing some tightness in his left hamstring during an earlier match against the England Lions. From an ability to perform on the big stage consistently standpoint, his missed training session in Brisbane on Saturday morning made alarm bells go off.
Josh Tongue is set to fill Wood’s shoes in the England XI with the second Test starting at Lord’s on Thursday. The Watchmen will miss Wood more than anyone. His recent record, topped off with nine wickets in his last day-night Test versus Australia in Hobart in 2022, reminds us what a precious asset he continues to be.
The burden on the English attack is exacerbated by Wood’s enforced removal. As former Australian cricketer/coach Jason Gillespie has argued, we are putting too much physical stress on our fast bowlers. He said, “Are they well experienced enough to be fit and strong? Can they bowl with the same intensity at high pace for an entire test match and back it up for the next test match and the next?
The new day-night format introduces a whole new dynamic that will test bowlers even further. Stuart Broad commented on the challenges posed by the pink ball, saying, “There’s something about the pink ball, you just can’t pick it up quite as well. You receive no hints either, though, so the black seam is just that—black on a bright pink background.
England approaches what is set to be the humdinger of the group stage, they’ll have to do so without their most pernicious fast bowler. Wood’s troubled injury history serves to complicate the team’s difficulties. England have worked hard to get the best out of his talents over this Ashes series.
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