WOOD IS IN THE CLEAR ... FOR NOW
England confident over his fitness
England appeared to have survived another injury scare yesterday but will have to continue wrapping up one of their most potent weapons in cotton wool and hope for the best when the World Cup begins this week.
It was easy to fear the worst when Mark Wood pulled up in his delivery stride ahead of the second ball of his fourth over on Saturday and had to leave the field during England’s warm-up defeat by australia at Southampton.
after all, little has been seen of Wood and his heartbreakingly fragile left ankle since he produced one of the fastest spells in English Test history against West Indies in St lucia earlier this year and whetted everyone’s appetite ahead of the World Cup and ashes.
although there was, curiously, no official word on Wood’s ‘precautionary’ scan yesterday the suggestions were that the durham man and management were relaxed about the situation and confident he will live to fight another World Cup day.
It is still a concern. One of the most exciting and popular members of England’s squad reported a reaction in a left ankle that has required three operations when he returned from the Caribbean and was eased back into action via durham and just one appearance in the five-match one-day series against Pakistan.
now Wood has been forced out of action again, even though he insisted on running off when he stopped bowling against australia and was reportedly keen to return later in the innings just to field and prove his fitness.
Wood was the only member of the England squad not to walk the Ruth Strauss Foundation Westminster Mile yesterday — Ben Stokes predictably chose to jog it with his wife and young son — but he was in cheery mood on the sidelines.
England will certainly be loath to give up on such an important member of the attack before the World Cup has even begun, particularly as there would be no way back for him now if he were to be released and replaced by first reserve david Willey. Instead they will carry on nursing him through in the hope that he could yet have an impact towards the business end of a six-week-long tournament that begins for England against South africa at the Oval on Thursday.
Wood (right) is not England’s only injury worry and at times on Saturday the ageas Bowl resembled a casualty ward more than a cricket ground. Captain Eoin Morgan was on the sidelines with a fractured finger while liam dawson and Jofra archer also suffered minor problems.
England could really do without today’s final warm- up against afghanistan at the Oval. They will have to field players they would much rather rest up because they are not allowed to include anyone outside their final World Cup 15.
adil Rashid, who has had three cortisone injections in his right shoulder, bowled in practice with coach Chris Silverwood yesterday. England will decide this morning whether to risk one of their most important bowlers. archer, who turned his ankle fielding on Saturday, is said to be fully fit and is expected to play today as is Joe Root, who missed the australian defeat for compassionate reasons after the death of his grandfather.
Morgan’s left index finger, meanwhile, is improving after he fractured it in practice on Friday but he is unlikely to be risked today, leaving Jos Buttler again in charge against an afghanistan side who defeated Pakistan in their first warm-up on Friday.
The one certainty today appears to be that assistant coach Paul Collingwood will again have to act as substitute fielder, as he did on Saturday two days after an eye operation and on the eve of his 43rd birthday.
There is, insist England, no need for alarm and they will still probably have a full squad to pick from when they face South africa at the start of what will be their best and probably last chance to finally win a global 50-over tournament.
But Willey had better keep an eye on his phone just in case.