England's Ashes campaign has suffered a major setback with pace bowler Mark Wood ruled out of the remaining three Tests due to a left knee injury. Wood, who played in the first Test in Perth, experienced knee soreness and was told on Tuesday that his tour is over.
Wood's departure leaves England without their leading pace bowler for the crucial matches ahead. The 35-year-old had knee surgery in March and missed England's entire home summer. He bowled only 11 overs in the first Test before the pain recurred, forcing him to miss the second Test in Brisbane.
England now face selection dilemmas for the third Test in Adelaide starting next week. Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts are expected to be considered, while Matthew Fisher has been added to the squad after taking 0-105 for the England Lions against Australia A.
Wood's absence is a significant blow to England's hopes of recovering from a 2-0 series deficit. In the 2023 Ashes, his return from injury at Headingley helped England level the series, and he finished as their leading wicket-taker with 17 at an average of 26.64.
Meanwhile, Australia confirmed Josh Hazlewood will also miss the rest of the series with hamstring and Achilles injuries, but they will have Pat Cummins back for Adelaide. England's bowlers face a heavy workload with tight turnarounds between the third, fourth, and fifth Tests.
