England’s Mark Wood ruled out for rest of 2024 after right elbow injury

Fast bowler Mark Wood’s elbow injury will keep him out of action for the duration of 2024, dealing a severe setback to England. The speedster complained of discomfort during the Test series against the West Indies earlier this year, and he later suffered an injury to his right elbow.

Wood has a “bone stress injury,” according to scans, which the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed in a statement. The pacer missed the second and third Tests at the Lord’s and Kennington Oval, but he participated in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Gutting news 💔

Mark Wood has been ruled out for the rest of the year following a right elbow injury.

Back stronger, Woody 💪

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 6, 2024

The 34-year-old Wood will be monitored by the ECB medical team in an effort to fully recover for the games scheduled for the following year.

In the Manchester Test match against Sri Lanka, Wood also suffered a thigh injury; nevertheless, the ECB said that the bowler is “recovering well.”

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The forthcoming Test visits by England to Pakistan and New Zealand will be without Wood. Wood wants to be well before the Champions Trophy and the India tour in 2019, according to the ECB.

“This is even more disheartening because I work so hard to maintain my fitness and put in extra effort with coaches and physiotherapists. Still, I suppose this is “part of being a fast bowler,” as Ben Stokes’ character Stokesy puts it. I need time to recover and refuel, therefore I will miss the remainder of the year. I fully anticipate returning to work in early 2025,” Wood stated in a social media statement.

England has a respectable group of pacers in their ranks to fill in for Wood. Among the new faces in their fast bowling arsenal are Gus Atkinson, who has already claimed three five-wicket hauls, and Josh Hull, who made his Test debut in the current KIA Oval Test.

With Stuart Broad and the great James Anderson having retired, England is seeking to rebuild, and its most experienced pacer is Chris Woakes.