England might have to wait a little longer for their premier pacer Mark Wood to come back. After suffering hefty defeat in the series opener, England put on a show on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test against Australia, thanks to long-awaited unbeaten century from Joe Root, which was his first ever in Australia, which put the tourists in the driver's seat on Day 1 of the second Test at The Gabba. Root was imperious, finishing the day unbeaten on 135, registering his 40th Test century as England compiled a solid total of 325/9. Significant contributions also came from Zak Crawley (76) and the number 11 batter, Jofra Archer (32 not out). Despite Australia having some moments of success, the overall momentum of the day firmly belonged to Ben Stokes' side.
Injury alarm over Mark Wood
However, the positive news on the pitch was tempered by a major alarm delivered off it regarding fast bowler Mark Wood. Wood is currently nursing a knee injury and was initially ruled out only for the second Test match. Unfortunately, the situation may be more serious than anticipated, as he provided an unwelcome update on his condition, suggesting he could now also miss the next encounter in Adelaide, threatening to extend his absence from the team.
Wood uncertain for Adelaide Test
The injured 35-year-old fast bowler, Mark Wood, who featured in the first Test match in Perth and delivered 11 wicketless overs, provided an update on his condition to Australian broadcaster Channel 7 on Day 1 in Brisbane. Wood admitted that it would be touch-and-go whether he manages to recover from his knee injury and return to playing before the Christmas break, indicating his potential absence could significantly impact England’s bowling plans for the remainder of the early Ashes fixtures.
"I think there's a chance there [for the third Test match in Adelaide]. More realistically, it's probably more Melbourne and then [Sydney] after that. I need to get out of this [brace] first to get moving around," Wood said.