Mark Wood has accepted he may have to sit out the third Ashes Test in Adelaide after a fresh flare-up of his troublesome left knee, conceding that recovery is getting harder as he moves deeper into his thirties.
The 35-year-old quick underwent knee surgery in February and only made his Test comeback in Perth, where he delivered 11 wicketless overs. Subsequent discomfort sent him back to a specialist; he has arrived in Brisbane wearing a brace and taking regular pain-killing injections.
Speaking to Channel 7 during the Gabba Test, Wood sounded realistic rather than hopeful about Adelaide. “I think there’s a chance there, but more realistically, it’s probably more Melbourne and then [Sydney] after that… I need to get out of this [brace] first to get moving around.”
Those words echoed the theme he returned to several times: age and mileage. “Throughout my career, I’ve tried to show resilience and keep coming back and keep trying to push it where I can bowl faster and faster, but I’m getting older now.” He added, “I don’t know if my body’s not coping with it as well [as it used to] but I’ll keep trying. That’s something I pride myself on, to keep running in for the team and be a good team man. I’m hoping I can get this right and can charge in again.”
England’s medical staff have limited Wood to short drills and gentle jogging. The plan is a cautious one: walking without pain, light runs, then the long, deliberate build-up to full-pace spells. Wood summed it up in everyday terms. “I’m trying to just get through day-to-day at the minute. Later in the series is what I’m aiming for, but I can’t do that much at the minute. I’ve had a couple of injections, resting up, and slowly but surely, running [will] start soon, then back into bowling.”
Mental fatigue is proving as awkward as the physical setbacks. “It’s more mentally difficult than physically. You’ve got to try and build it back up and come back again, and that’s probably the more difficult thing.”
Ben Stokes offered a supportive but non-committal assessment before the Brisbane Test. “We’ve got a lot more time to go on this tour, and we’ll just see how things play out with that.”
With three Tests to come after Brisbane, and the prospect of reverse swing under lights in Adelaide, England would love Wood’s 90-mph burst. For now, they must wait and see whether body and calendar align.
