England’s Ashes campaign suffered a major blow as senior pacer Mark Wood was officially ruled out of the remainder of the Australia tour after a recurrence of his left-knee injury. The setback resurfaced during the first Test in Perth last month, and despite England’s best efforts to manage his workload, the 35-year-old has been forced to return home. He will now undergo an intensive rehabilitation programme under the ECB’s medical staff as he aims to revive his Test career.
Wood featured in England’s eight-wicket defeat in the Ashes opener but went wicketless and was subsequently sidelined for the second Test in Brisbane, where Australia extended their lead to 2-0 in the five-match series. The fast bowler took to Instagram to express his devastation, revealing the emotional and physical toll of his lengthy return from injury.
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“Gutted to be out the remainder of the Ashes,” Mark Wood wrote, describing how seven months of surgery, rehab, and hard work fell short as the knee flare-up proved more severe than initially feared. He admitted he arrived in Australia with high ambitions of making a meaningful impact but accepted that his body simply did not respond to further injections and treatment.
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Despite the disappointment, Wood vowed to fight back once again, stressing that the setback won’t deter his desire to return to Test cricket. He also threw his support behind the team, insisting England can still turn the series around.
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To fill the void, Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been drafted into the squad. The 28-year-old, already touring with the Lions, has taken three wickets in three matches on this trip and previously made his Test debut against West Indies in Antigua in 2022. He now has an opportunity to step up as England search for a fresh spark in their struggling Ashes campaign.
