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Ahead of day four of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, the ECB announced that Mark Wood won’t be taking the field today due to a right thigh muscle injury. The 34-year-old is being assessed by the England medical team, and his participation for the remainder of the Test is in doubt.
Notably, Mark Wood limped off the field on day three of the Test match after bowling two balls in the 11th over of his spell in the Sri Lankan innings, who were 190/5 in 55.2 overs at the time. Joe Root completed the rest of the over, taking the wicket of Milan Rathnayake, to put Sri Lanka in deep trouble with two day’s play remaining.
Although Mark Wood didn’t need any support to make his way off the field at Old Trafford, the ECB sent out a media release to confirm the extent of his injury the next morning. They said, “England pace bowler Mark Wood has sustained a right thigh muscle injury late on the third day of the first Rothesay Test against Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford. "He will not return to the field today and will continue to be assessed by the England medical team to determine the full extent of the injury.”
With the absence of Mark Wood, England will have only three fast bowlers namely Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts, and Gus Atkinson at their disposal. They can also use Shoaib Bashir, Joe Root, and Dan Lawrence as their spin options on day four of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Before the start of play on day four, Sri Lanka have an 82-run lead, but only four wickets remained in their second innings.
