Mark Wood ruled out of Ashes series, Fisher named replacement
What's the story
Veteran England pacer Mark Wood has been ruled out of the rest of the Ashes series due to a recurrence of his left-knee injury, which flared up during the first Test in Perth. He will be replaced by Matthew Fisher, who is already in Australia with the England Lions team and will join the senior squad this week. Here are further details.
Rehabilitation
Wood's injury history and recovery plan
Wood, who turns 36 in January, had undergone surgery on his left knee after leaving England's Champions Trophy campaign in February. The Perth Test was his first in 15 months. He bowled 11 wicketless overs before reporting knee pain and being referred to a specialist. After missing the second Test in Brisbane, Wood will return home later this week for rehabilitation with the ECB medical team.
New addition
Fisher's introduction to the England squad
Matthew Fisher, a six-foot-two seamer with a high release point, is set to join the England squad this week. His only Test appearance was against West Indies in 2022. The third Test of the Ashes series will begin on December 17 in Adelaide. This will be Fisher's first major international outing for England since his debut against West Indies in 2022. Notably, Australia are 2-0 up in the series.
Hazlewood
Hazlewood will also miss the series
Another star pacer who will miss the remaining three matches of the Ashes series is Australia's Josh Hazlewood. The news was confirmed by head coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday, December 9. Hazlewood had been recovering from a hamstring strain sustained during last month's Sheffield Shield but aggravated his Achilles last week, ending any chance of featuring against England this summer.