- By Namrata Vijay
- Thu, 13 Nov 2025 05:03 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ashes 2025: Mark Wood will be undergoing precautionary scans as he had sustained hamstring stiffness in the warm-up clash against England Lions, and that has raised concerns for the visitors just a few days before the series opener. As per the ECB, Wood will be bowling after two days but won't be participating in the warm-up match anymore.
Since the first Ashes Test match is just a week away, England is hopeful that the star fast bowler will recover well in time. His pace in Australia will help them to win their first Test there after 2010-11. They are dependent on both him and Jofra Archer, as this duo can bowl beyond the 150km/h mark and give the Australian batters a hard time.
Wood was last seen in action in the Champions Trophy 2025 as he had sustained ligament damage in his left knee. And that's why he stayed out of action for the rest of the year, and this hamstring concern has forced the visitors to keep a close watch on him.
At the same time, Australia is also grappling with its own injured players. Skipper Pat Cummins and Sean Abbott will be giving the series opener a miss, whereas Josh Hazlewood also suffered an injury scare as he was suffering from a niggle in a Sheffield Shield match. But now that he has been declared fit, the host will be keeping a close eye on his workload before this series.
At the same time, Wood's fitness has been quite concerning for the visitors. The ECB revealed that he will be giving the Test series against India a miss owing to a knee surgery. He had sustained this injury in their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan earlier this year, where he was seen leaving the field after bowling in just eight overs. He also didn't feature in the match against South Africa as the doctors suggested a four-month recovery period for him.
Since he is yet again closely monitored, the visitors will hope that this isn't a serious injury and that the star fast bowler can play in all five games of this high-octane Test series.