England’s star pacer Mark Wood’s return to cricket after injury was short-lived. Wood has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes 2025-26 owing to recurring left-knee injury.
"Gutted to be out the remainder of the Ashes. After extensive surgery and seven long, hard months of work and rehab to get back into the Test arena, my knee just hasn't held up. None of us expected this. I came here with high expectations about making a big impact. I'm desperately disappointed that despite yet more injections and intensive medical treatment, it has become clear that the flare-up in my knee is worse than feared," Wood wrote in an Instagram post.
"I'm really sorry that it has left me unable to perform as expected but it is not for want of trying. Whatever happens, I will continue to push the limits to get back again. It has been a tough road these past few months but I remain determined to give it another proper go. I still believe we can turn things around. Never give in. Come on, England."
Wood will return home later this week. He will be monitored by ECB medical team as he starts his rehabilitation and recovery.
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28-year-old pacer Matthew Fisher has been named Wood’s replacement ahead of the third Test at Adelaide Oval, starting December 14.
Fisher made his Test debut more than three and a half years ago against West Indies. He claimed just one wicket in the drawn Test.
Fisher struggles in hunt for wickets on Australian soil
The selection of Fisher is an interesting one as he hasn’t had much success since his arrival in Australia. For England Lions, he took just one wicket against England XI in the intra-squad game in Perth's Lilac Hill. In the clash against Cricket Australia XI, he managed to take just one wicket in two innings. Against Australia A in Brisbane, he remained wicketless and conceded 105 run from 31 overs.
Fisher’s first-class numbers -
From 56 first-class appearances, the Yorkshire pacer has 175 wickets at an average of 28.16. He has six five-wicket hauls to his name in the format.
England’s updated Ashes Test squad -
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Will Jacks, Matthew Fisher.