Adelaide Test Return Uncertain for Mark Wood After Sustained Injury Issues

Mark Wood is unsure about participating in the third Ashes Test at Adelaide. After missing the ongoing Brisbane day-night clash, his recurring knee injury has cast doubts on his appearance for the next match as well. This has become a major concern for the England team, which was initially hoping for Wood to feature in all Ashes matches.

Speaking to the local Australian media during the first day of the Brisbane test, Mark Wood said that he is unlikely to feature in the next Adelaide test. He added that his availability for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests is possible, but he needs to regain full fitness before making a return.

"I think there's a chance there, but more realistically, it's probably more Melbourne and then [Sydney] after that… I need to get out of this [brace] first to get moving around." said Mark Wood while talking to the media.

It should be noted that Mark Wood turned 35 this year. He believes that the nature of his injury is recovering more slowly due to his age. The England pacer said that throughout his career he always managed to come back stronger from various injuries, however, things have changed a lot during the last few months.

"Throughout my career, I've tried to show resilience and keep coming back and keep trying to push it where I can bowl faster and faster, but I'm getting older now.” said Mark Wood.

The English speedster is still confident that he can recover in time for the last two Ashes matches. He takes pride in doing hard work, which is why he is still trying his best to get fully fit for the remainder of the series.

"I don't know if my body's not coping with it as well [as it used to] but I'll keep trying. That's something I pride myself on, to keep running in for the team and be a good team man. I'm hoping I can get this right and can charge in again.” said Mark Wood.

Wood Takes Steady Path to Recovery After Injections

Currently, Wood is focusing on recovery on a day-to-day basis. It is the right approach for the pacer to assess how much his knee is improving with each passing day. He recently took some painkilling injections to speed up the healing, as that will help him to get back into rhythm slowly and steadily.

"I'm trying to just get through day-to-day at the minute. Later in the series is what I'm aiming for, but I can't do that much at the minute. I've had a couple of injections, resting up, and slowly but surely, running [will] start soon, then back into bowling.” said Mark Wood.

The pacer also admitted that following this process is more mentally challenging than physical training. However, he is approaching it with high optimism, even though it remains difficult and demanding.

"It's more mentally difficult than physically. You've got to try and build it back up and come back again, and that's probably the more difficult thing." said Mark Wood.

The England captain is also confident that Mark Wood will do everything possible to speed up his return. He said the series still has plenty of matches left, so the team is optimistic about having Wood back in the squad soon.

"We've got a lot more time to go on this tour, and we'll just see how things play out with that." said England test captain, Ben Stokes.