FILE -England's Mark Wood reacts after bowls a delivery during the third one day international cricket match between India and England in Ahmedabad, India,, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/ Ajit Solanki , File)
November 14, 2025 - 2:47 PM
PERTH, Australia (AP) — England fast bowler Mark Wood could play in the first Ashes test against Australia starting next Friday after scans cleared him of a hamstring injury.
Wood experienced tightness in his left hamstring after bowling his eighth over on the opening day of England’s three-day warm-up match at Lilac Hill in Perth on Thursday. The 35-year-old Wood was playing his first match since undergoing left knee surgery in March.
The England team said in a statement Saturday that scans have cleared him of any damage and that he would train next week in a bid to prove his fitness for the first test in Perth.
“Following precautionary scans on Friday, England fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of any concerns regarding his left hamstring,” England said in a statement. “Wood will continue to train as planned in the build-up to the first test in Perth.”
Jofra Archer, who returned figures of 1-51 from 12.3 overs on a docile pitch during the Lions’ first-innings total of 375, looms as a more likely option for the opening test than Wood.
Archer has played just two tests over the past four years, but the injury-prone fast bowler has played for England in ODI and T20 formats in recent months.
England’s decision to use a sole three-day intra-team match as its only preparation for the Ashes has drawn criticism.
Australia captain and fast bowler Pat Cummins has already been ruled out of the first test.
The Nov. 21-25 Perth match will be followed by a day-night test at the Gabba in Brisbane starting Dec. 4, then the series moves to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
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