Former cricketer of the England team, Michael Vaughan, expressed his disappointment about the absence of star pacer Mark Wood, who will miss England’s next two Tests against Sri Lanka. Vaughan stated that Wood is irreplaceable due to his unique attributes, and stated that “he brings a pace and energy that no-one else in the team can bring.”

In the second innings of the last Test against Sri Lanka, Wood only bowled 10 overs before suffering an injury and leaving the field with a thigh issue. While England was able to win the match by five wickets, Vaughan suggests that not having Wood available for the remaining Tests in the series “has got to be a blow” for England.

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“Mark Wood is the key; look at all the England side, even Ben Stokes now. Ben Stokes is a talisman, an incredible cricketer, England miss but they will miss Wood even more because there is no one who can bowl 95 miles an hour,” Vaughan commented, while participating in a discussion on BBC’s Match Special.

Vaughan continued, “Mark Wood is becoming quite quickly the most important member of this team because he brings something that they haven’t got anyone that can bring. Even Jofra Archer can’t bowl this pace. He (Wood) is bowling 95 to 97 miles an hour.”

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Michael Vaughan shared that he believed Wood’s absence was particularly felt on Day 4, when at Lord’s, the pitch became flatter and was unresponsive to fast bowlers. Vaughan noted that England could not summon any momentum, and, “He is not going to play at Lord’s. He might not be seen again this summer,” which suggested Wood may have a longer recovery than just this Test.