England fast bowler Mark Wood has been ruled out of the Ashes tour due to a knee injury. The 35-year-old returned to action in the first Test in Perth after an eight-month absence following knee surgery, but was forced to miss the second Test due to swelling in the same left knee.
Wood had initially been hopeful that he could play a part in the remaining three Tests, but has now been ruled out of the squad for the third Test at Adelaide, beginning on 17 December. His injury is a significant blow to England's chances of turning around their series against Australia, who are currently leading 2-0.
In his place, Surrey fast bowler Matthew Fisher has been called up to the England squad. The 28-year-old won his only Test cap on a tour of the West Indies in 2022 and has been part of the England Lions squad on their tour of Australia.
Fisher's inclusion is seen as a positive move for England, who are looking to make a comeback in the series. He gets the nod ahead of Josh Hull and Sonny Baker, who were both ruled out of the Lions squad with injuries.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will make his comeback when the hosts reveal their squad for the third Test on Wednesday. The Australian team will also make at least two changes to their team, with seamers Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett potentially left out.
The series is currently being played in a day-night format, and England are under pressure to win the next Test to avoid an embarrassing defeat.
Wood had initially been hopeful that he could play a part in the remaining three Tests, but has now been ruled out of the squad for the third Test at Adelaide, beginning on 17 December. His injury is a significant blow to England's chances of turning around their series against Australia, who are currently leading 2-0.
In his place, Surrey fast bowler Matthew Fisher has been called up to the England squad. The 28-year-old won his only Test cap on a tour of the West Indies in 2022 and has been part of the England Lions squad on their tour of Australia.
Fisher's inclusion is seen as a positive move for England, who are looking to make a comeback in the series. He gets the nod ahead of Josh Hull and Sonny Baker, who were both ruled out of the Lions squad with injuries.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will make his comeback when the hosts reveal their squad for the third Test on Wednesday. The Australian team will also make at least two changes to their team, with seamers Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett potentially left out.
The series is currently being played in a day-night format, and England are under pressure to win the next Test to avoid an embarrassing defeat.
. They needed someone like Mark Wood to turn around that series, but now they're stuck with no fast bowler after his injury 
. I mean, what's the point of having a team if you can't get your top players back? 
Matthew Fisher might be a decent replacement, but let's see how he performs under pressure 
️. And to make matters worse, Australia is going all guns blazing with Pat Cummins making his comeback 
. This series just got a whole lot more intense 
. Can England even get back into this? 
! I mean, what's up with Wood getting ruled out? Is it just because he didn't want to play anymore at 35 or something? Like, fair enough, knee injuries are a real thing... but can't they just stick him in a special "injured England player" squad just for the sake of morale?
. Mark my words, England are done for. The series is over before it even starts.
This injury to Mark Wood is a total bummer. I was really hoping he'd be able to make it back sooner 
. And to make matters worse, Australia is already making changes to their squad... it's just one more thing that's going wrong for England 
this news is defo not what england needed right now... Mark Wood was having that good run back after his surgery and now he's out with another knee injury... i'm getting really worried about their chances against australia 
meanwhile, australia is looking solid with pat cummins coming back in the mix 
can't wait to see how this series unfolds 
. Can't imagine how frustrated he must be feeling right now 
. England's gonna need some serious luck to turn this series around, but at least they've got Matthew Fisher coming in to give them a boost 
. It's not ideal, but you can't control injuries, right? At least Australia is facing some uncertainty with their lineup changes 
. Can't wait for the next Test, gotta see how this all plays out 
But what about a more systemic approach? Are they really addressing the root causes of their struggles in Australia, or just patching things up with some quick fixes? 
The fact that they're calling up Matthew Fisher, who's only won one Test cap... is it just about giving someone a lifeline to save face, or is there real potential for growth and improvement? 
. And now they're bringing in Matthew Fisher? Isn't he like, what, 10 years younger than Wood? 
whatttt 
Fingers crossed he can step up and bring some much-needed excitement to the team. 
might make it even harder for em to turn around this series 
. Fingers crossed! 
. Like, one minute you're there, the next minute you're gone! It's like they have their own secret language or something.
. I'm a bit curious about Matthew Fisher now, though - has anyone seen his game face? 
