England pacer Mark Wood was taken off the field and was sent for scans after experiencing hamstring stiffness during the side's only warm-up game against the England Lions in Perth. He had bowled only two four-over spells before leaving the field mid-way through the second session of the day.
Notably, this was Wood's first competitive match in nine months as he had gotten a surgery on his left knee, keeping him out of action for quite some time. His last apperance for the Three Lions in red-ball cricket came against Sri Lanka in August, 2024.
Soon after Wood was taken off the field, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that he will be undergoing a precautionary scan and will likely bowl again in two days time.
"The plan for Mark Wood was for him to bowl eight overs today. He has some stiffness in his hamstring, which has kept him off the field for some time during the second session of the first day and will undergo a precautionary scan tomorrow," an ECB statement read.
"He is expected to bowl again in two days' time. It is unlikely he will return to the field today," the statement further said.
Wood last played in the Champions Trophy
Wood's last assignment for England was the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy where he only played two games as the team got knocked out in the group stage itself. The 35-year-old was not able to deliver in the two games he played as he only picked up one scalp and recorded an economy-rate of over six in both the matches.
Stokes delivers on comeback
Meanwhile, skipper Ben Stokes was England's top performer with the ball in the match against the Lions. He picked up four out of the five wickets before the end of the second session, making an impressive comeback to the longest format..
England's squad for The Ashes: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood