England fast bowler Mark Wood, who withdrew himself from the opening ODI against New Zealand after experiencing pain in his left ankle, has been sent for a precautionary scan. Wood has a long history of ankle problems having previously undergone three surgeries.
England played down the seriousness of the problem when he didn’t make the XI on Sunday, but when a player with such a record feels even a niggle it must cause concern. It was confirmed on Monday that he had been sent for further investigation as the team made its way to Mount Maunganui ahead of the second ODI on Wednesday.
“It’s not a serious concern at the moment,” captain Eoin Morgan said after England’s defeat in Hamilton. “He’s picked up a soreness the last couple of days and he wasn’t worth the risk today. We’ll see how he’s assessed over the next 24 hours to see whether he will participate in the next game or we build a plan as to when he can come back.”
Wood is seen as the man who can provide x-factor pace to England’s one-day attack. He has also been included for the two Tests which conclude this tour as he attempts to resume his long-form career, which stalled after the second Test against South Africa last year when he suffered a heel problem having worn incorrect insoles.
Wood was subsequently ruled out of the Ashes squad although did join up with them during the tour and there was a clamour for him to play as England’s fast-medium bowlers struggled to make an impact on Australian pitches.
However, a lack of cricket worked against him and he wasn’t risked, instead returning in the ODIs last month. He played four of the five matches, taking four wickets including the key incisions of David Warner in the opening match in Melbourne and Steven Smith in Sydney. He played in just two of the T20 matches, conceding 51 off his four overs against New Zealand in Wellington.
Wood was picked up at the IPL auction, for GBP 166,000 by Chennai Super Kings after a little help from Ben Stokes, who extolled his virtues to their coach Stephen Fleming, but given his injury history England will be wary of his participation.
England have already lost another of their quickest bowlers to injury. Liam Plunkett was ruled out of this series with a hamstring problem first sustained in Australia and aggravated in the T20 tri-series with Craig Overton called in as his replacement.
David Willey replaced Wood for the first ODI in Hamilton and bowled well with the new ball, removing Kane Williamson, but was not used again by Eoin Morgan after that six-over spell, to suggest there is less faith in him later in an innings.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo