Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain expressed his disappointment over Mark Wood being ruled out from the remainder of the Ashes. On Tuesday, Wood took to Instagram to announce that he has suffered a flare-up on his injured left knee that he sustained during the Perth Test. This has ruled him out from the remaining three Tests of The Ashes and he will be spending his time on the sidelines in order to recover and make a comeback as soon as he can.
Hussain feels that this is a massive blow for England and pointed out how it will now be difficult for the team to give rest to the bowlers who have featured in both the Tests played so far.
"It is a huge blow to the team and the individual. The team because you want all your bowlers available, especially going into the final three Tests that are one after another. We have had big gaps so far, but after the third Test, they come thick and fast. England may not have been able to go Wood and Jofra Archer again, but if Archer needed a rest Wood could have come in and that is not possible now," Hussain told Sky Sports.
Hussain hopes Wood to recover
Hussain further remarked that Wood's body keeps on letting him down and highlighted how difficult it will be for the 35-year-old to recover from such a serious injury. He labelled the pacer's latest injury setback as "soul-destroying" and hoped to see more of him in Test cricket in the coming future.
"It is also a blow for Wood, who is such a likeable lad that gives it absolutely everything every time he plays for England. He is so popular in that team but his body just keeps letting him down. He has come back from yet another injury after eight, nine months in rehab, hamstring goes in the warm-up game, knee goes in the first Test and now back for more rehab. It's soul-destroying for him," Hussain stated.
"He has been around for a decade and played 38 Tests. He will be very down at the moment and I hope it's not the last we see of him in Tests. He turns 36 next month and at that age it is very difficult to keep coming back from injuries," he added.
Wood's recurring injury problems
Notably, Wood was out for nine months due to a knee surgery and had made his return to international cricket in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. After being included in England's playing XI for the first Ashes Test, Wood was expected to feature in almost all the matches of the series. However, he picked up an injury during the game and his time in Australia has now abruptly come to an end as he will be heading back home for rehab. It remains to be seen how the England team deals with this major blow with them already being 2-0 behind in the Ashes series.