IND vs ENG 2021: England pacer Mark Wood ruled out of third Test due to jarred shoulder

In another setback for the England cricket team, fast bowler Mark Wood has been ruled out of the third Test against India at Headingley due to a jarred right shoulder.

Mark Wood picked up the injury during the fourth day of the second Test at Lord’s, when he landed awkwardly on his shoulder while trying to save a boundary. He soon left the field for treatment.

The 31-year-old did come out to bowl on the last day of the Test at Lord’s. He directed plenty of short stuff at Indian tailenders Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, a move which backfired massively.

India recovered from a precarious position on Day 5 to clinch the Lord’s Test by 151 runs. Mark Wood ended the match with figures of 2 and 91 and 3 for 51.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) informed that Mark Wood will remain with the squad in Leeds and will continue his rehab with the England medical team. He will be assessed at the end of the third Test against India.

England are already without the services of fast bowler Jofra Archer and talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes. While the former is still recuperating from his elbow injury, Stokes pulled out of the series citing mental health issues.

Don’t wrap Mark Wood up in cotton wool for the Ashes: Angus Fraser

Earlier, former England pacer Angus Fraser had warned the team management against being overprotective of Mark Wood, who has a history of injury issues. Fraser stated that England should not make the mistake of trying to keep Mark Wood fresh for the Ashes as that event is still a few months away.

Fraser was quoted as saying in The Daily Mail a couple of days back:

“If he’s fine and fully recovered then he should be considered to play this week. One of the things you need to be as a fast bowler is strong and robust. You only become strong and robust by playing. You want his workload to be managed so you wouldn’t suggest for one moment that he’s playing the last three Test matches and bowling 40 overs a Test. That’s not him.”

“But to start wrapping him up in cotton wool for the Ashes now would be a bit premature because a lot of things can happen in the three months or so before that series starts,” Fraser added.

The third Test of the five-match India-England series begins at Headingley, Leeds on August 25.