Mark Wood is fearing the latest round of surgery in his injury-blighted career following the knee issue that added to England’s Champions Trophy misery this week.
The 35-year-old will be missing from Saturday’s final match against South Africa on Saturday after his knee began “locking” against Afghanistan in Lahore. Striking four overs into his work, Wood pushed through the pain to send down four more at reduced pace but was powerless to prevent the eventual eight-run defeat.
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England, already eliminated from the tournament, will wait until Wood sees a specialist back in the UK next week before issuing an official update. Torn cartilage is the suspicion – possible ligament damage too – with rest unlikely to solve the problem.
The news follows the toe issue to Brydon Carse that ended his tour early and comes at the start of a year that may define Brendon McCullum’s tenure as head coach. Both Durham quicks are viewed as central to England’s hopes of winning in Australia next winter, albeit with a five-Test series at home to India coming first.
After changing the mood of the 2023 Ashes – central to clawing the series back to a 2-2 draw – Wood has only recently returned from an elbow problem. While the ankle problems that affected the start of his England career are seemingly a thing of the past, the strain of consistently bowling in excess of 90mph continues to cause issues.
