Fast bowler Mark Wood is set to undergo a fitness test on Friday morning ahead of England’s World Cup match against West Indies.
Wood, who has bowled the fastest delivery (154kph) in the tournament to date, reported discomfort in his left ankle following Saturday’s victory over Bangladesh. With rain forcing England to abandon most of their plans for outdoor training plans since, he has little chance to assess the severity of the problem.
“His ankle is a little bit sore at the moment,” England captain Eoin Morgan said. “We haven’t bowled for a few days so it depends how he feels when he bowls in the morning. If it’s still sore, we probably won’t take a risk.”
However, England had better news of Jos Buttler. He was able to take full part in training on Friday – he even performed some keeping drills in the driving rain – after sustaining a bruised hip on Saturday that prevented him from keeping wicket. He is now considered fully fit and will take back the gloves on Friday.
Wood’s loss would be a significant blow to England. Several West Indies batsmen had looked distinctly uncomfortable against Wood in the Caribbean and, on a surface that generally offers a little bounce, both sides have talked of the potential importance of pace bowling.
While the injury is not thought to be serious, England are unlikely to take a chance with Wood, considering he has undergone three operations on that left ankle.
That having been said, this is an important game for both sides. Whichever loses it may face a real scrap to qualify for the semi-finals.
Moeen Ali, who was at his wife’s bedside as she gave birth to their second child on Wednesday, was back at training on Thursday and may well return to the side instead of one of the seamers. With the Southampton pitch having been under cover for most of the week, there might have been an increasing temptation to play the extra seamer but, with Wood an injury doubt, it is probable Moeen will return in his place.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo