According to the English Newspaper Telegraph on Friday, England’s leading pacer, Mark Wood likely to miss the first match against Pakistan due to a hip injury.
Wood sustained the injury during England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign, forcing him to miss the semifinal against India and the final against Pakistan.
Despite reports that Wood’s rehabilitation is progressing well, the pacer is unlikely to gain enough fitness to prepare for the rigors of a Test match with only three training days remaining before the series begins on December 1.
Stokes also confirmed Wood’s absence
Ben Stokes also confirmed that Wood’s absence from the team’s training camp in Abu Dhabi, where they played a training match against the England Lions, had nothing to do with the latter’s injury, and that Wood and Harry Brook were given time off at home due to an excessive workload.
“No, we’re sticking with it,” Stokes said. “We’re not adding another seamer to this group.”
“We decided to let Brooky and Woody spend that time at home because they were obviously in Pakistan for the World Cup,” Stokes explained. “We felt that a week at home would be more beneficial for them, to recharge their batteries, and obviously, with Woody’s injury, getting home and being around his wife and child would be better than being out here and getting all his rehab, which he could do at home.”
“We’ve sent them home.” I haven’t had much contact with them, just to let them unwind. According to all reports, Woody is progressing nicely, and we’ll see how he is when he gets out here.”
Despite Stokes’ denial that a seamer would be called up, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) added an eleventh-hour addition to the Pakistan-bound squad when Rehan Ahmed was officially called up.
Pakistan and England will play a historic three-match series from December 1 to 21 in Rawalpindi, Multan, and Karachi, respectively.
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