Wood, Rehan Ahmed set to sit out England Test series
Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed are expected to sit out England’s next Test assignment against New Zealand in February as the management juggle their resources during a busy start to an Ashes and World Cup year. Wood proved a trump card for Ben Stokes on the torpid pitches of Pakistan, sealing the series with a three-wicket burst in Multan and backing this up with another wholehearted display when the historic 3-0 clean sweep was secured in Karachi.
As well as the strain of bowling 60 overs of 90mph short balls in dusty heat, all while battling the team’s sickness bug, the 32-year-old also spoke on tour about experiencing homesickness for the first time. Only Wood, who has a young family, and Harry Brook, 23, featured in both legs of the Pakistan tour and the T20 World Cup win. As such, and with the summer’s Ashes in mind plus the World Cup next winter, Wood is expected to take a break during a packed second half of the winter, sitting out January’s ODIs in South Africa and the two-Test series in New Zealand that starts on 16 February. The six-match white-ball tour of Bangladesh in March could mark his return. Despite seven wickets on debut in Karachi and a maiden five-wicket haul, the 18-year-old Ahmed may also be left out of the next Test squad with the expectation that conditions are unlikely to dictate a second spinner and Jack Leach still first choice.
Brendon McCullum, the head coach, is hoping Ahmed will instead get some playing time in franchise cricket. Despite reports to the contrary, the leg-spinner is confirmed to be entering Friday’s auction for the 2023 Indian Premier League, which begins in late March. If picked up, he would miss Leicestershire’s start to the county season. The squads for South Africa and New Zealand are due to be named imminently, with Jofra Archer in line for a comeback in the former after 18 months out injured. Stuart Broad and Matt Potts could be restored to the Test team’s stable of seamers after missing Pakistan for parental leave and tactical reasons, respectively. Ahmed has clearly impressed McCullum, who hopes his remarkable rise inspires talented youngsters across all sports, saying: “It is a great story. He’s a young kid but he has a tremendous attitude; he has a high ceiling in terms of skill level, a bit of x-factor and he has the potential to wow the world, which is pretty cool.