Mark Wood has been ruled out of action for four months with ligament damage to his left knee, placing him at great risk of missing England’s entire series against India this summer.
The five Tests against India run from June 20 to August 4. While Wood could in theory be fit to play in at least one of those games, England will be concerned about the 35-year-old aggravating his injury further.
The blow will add to questions about England’s policy of aligning their player pool in the red and white-ball formats. Some England fans believe that packing the white-ball sides with red-ball players is now jeopardising the side’s prospects of winning the Ashes later this year.
Wood suffered his injury while bowling against Afghanistan in England’s Champions Trophy defeat in Lahore last month, falling on his left knee in his delivery stride. The quick bowler has suffered from a series of injuries to his left knee in the past.
“I’m gutted to be out for so long after representing England across all formats since the start of last year,” said Wood. “But I’ve got every confidence that I’ll be back firing on all cylinders now that I’ve been able to sort my knee out.”
Analysis: All eyes on Atkinson and Carse
Without Wood, the onus will be on Gus Atkinson to lead England’s attack in the home Test summer. Atkinson is now likely to share the new ball with Chris Woakes. Brydon Carse, who enjoyed an outstanding winter with the Test side, taking 27 wickets at 19.85, is a first-choice pick when fit. Carse himself suffered an injury to his left toe in the Champions Trophy, forcing him to be withdrawn from both the tournament and the Indian Premier League. At this stage, Carse is expected to be fully fit for the Test series against India.
The loss of Wood will also increase calls for Jofra Archer to make his eagerly awaited Test return. The last of Archer’s 13 Test caps was in February 2021. But his hostile new-ball spells were a rare positive for England during a dire Champions Trophy campaign, in which the side crashed to three losses out of three.
England’s first Test of the summer is the one-off four-day affair against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge on May 22. The five Tests against India then loom as the main event. The games will also be England’s final Tests before the Ashes campaign Down Under.
The selectors have long identified a core of fast bowlers as essential to England’s hopes of winning the urn for the first time since 2015. Alongside Atkinson, Carse, Wood and potentially Archer, Josh Tongue and John Turner are also viewed as possessing the pace that England will aim to unleash on Australia.
Though Wood is injury-prone, he is a critical member of England’s squad. He also has a fine record against Australia, taking 41 wickets at 27.48 in 11 Tests. Even as England were thrashed 4-0 Down Under in 2021/22, Wood thrived, taking 17 wickets including six for 37 at Hobart.
In the 2023 Ashes, Wood entered the series 2-0 down, and played a crucial role in England’s comeback to level the series 2-2. Wood was timed at 96mph during a stunning spell of five for 34 at Headingley.
The hope that Wood is available for at least three of the five Tests has been central to England’s plans for the Ashes. His latest injury is a reminder of the strain that being the fastest bowler in the world puts upon his body.
Wood has already missed England’s last eight Test matches – the last two against Sri Lanka last summer and then all of the winter. He sustained a right thigh muscle injury in the opening Test against Sri Lanka last August. His latest setback will take his run of consecutive missed Tests to at least 12, and quite possibly 14.
While the Test side has been prioritised since 2022, Wood’s injury comes just as England are attempting to rebalance, and ensure that they are successful in both the red and white-ball formats simultaneously. Though England have the resources to thrive in both games at the same time, Wood’s injury is a reminder of the dangers of asking injury-prone fast bowlers to play in the red and white-ball formats alike.
