SL VS ENG | Mark Wood to miss Sri Lanka Tests due to left side strain injury
England fast bowler Mark Wood has been ruled out of England’s tour of Sri Lanka with a left side strain and has been replaced in the squad by Lancashire seamer Saqib Mahmood. A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board said scans revealed Wood sustained “a small tear to his left side”.
The 30-year-old's miseries with injuries continue as he suffers another setback in his short but impressive international career. His love affair with injury started since making his Test Debut in 2015 where he underwent three ankle operations, and featured in just 15 Tests in five years. Wood was troubled by a similar problem following the World Cup, which saw him miss the 2019 Ashes series.
It will be a mammoth loss for the English side as he was the stand-out seamer on the recent tour of South Africa, claiming 12 wickets in his two appearances in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. He was named Man of the Match for his career-best haul of 9 for 100 in England's 191-run victory in the latter, which came in bursts of raw speed that consistently topped 90mph.
According to the ECB, Wood sustained this latest injury at the end of the South Africa tour - he also featured in the three-match T20I series, having rested during the ODIs - and after undergoing several scans in London, a small tear to his left side was confirmed.
Wood, in the meantime, will embark on another injury rehabilitation programme, working with England and Durham medical teams respectively, with his next goal being England's home Test campaign against West Indies, which begins at The Oval on June 4.
England are set to travel to Sri Lanka on Monday. The first Test of the two-match series starts on March 19 in Galle.