Mark Wood ruled out of third Test against India due to shoulder injury

In a shocking development, England paceman Mark Wood will not make his presence count during the third Test match against India. The England and Wales Cricket Board on Monday announced that Mark Wood has been ruled out of the upcoming Test match at Headingley, Leeds on August 25.

The pacer has been out of the third Test owing to a jarred right shoulder. Wood picked up an injury on Day 4 of the second Test at the Home of Cricket. As a result, he will not be fit to take part in the upcoming Test match. As of now, he will remain with the camp in Leeds.

The 31-year-old will continue his recovery with the medical team. His injury condition will be monitored at the end of the third Test match. Based on the reports, it will be clear whether or not he will take part in the fourth Test at the Oval.

“Wood sustained the injury on the fourth day of the second Test at Lord’s and will not be fit to play at Emerald Headingley starting on Wednesday. He will remain with the squad in Leeds and will continue his rehab with the England medical team. The 31-year-old will be assessed at the end of this Test match,” the ECB said in a statement.

Major setback for England cricket team

Several experts pinpointed that England is a two-man team. Joe Root and James Anderson have led the team from the front in their respective departments. Root has been consistently scoring runs while Anderson has been pretty good at taking wickets.

Apart from them, it’s been a let-down after all that hype. Mark Wood’s absence is indeed a big blow for England. They are already without Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone owing to injury concerns.

England have 24-year-old talented pacer Saqib Mahmood who is likely to replace Mark Wood in the Headingley Test. Mark Wood sustained the injury while diving full-length forward to save a boundary in the second Test.

Unfortunately, he landed heavily on his right shoulder in the follow-through. He crashed into an advertising hoarding but still bowled well on the fifth and final day at the Lord’s. Wood took 2 wickets in the first innings and 3 wickets in the second innings.

The first Test ended in a draw. India beat England by 151 runs to win the Lord’s Test. Team India will be looking to extend their dominance in the Test series by putting on collective performance against the hosts in the Headingley Test.

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