England dealt fresh Ashes blow with Mark Wood ruled out for rest of series
The blows just keep coming for England in Australia,On Tuesday it was confirmed that Mark Wood will miss the remainder of the Ashes tour because of a knee problem that resurfaced after the first Test defeat in Perth,It represents a heartbreaking setback for Wood following a lengthy battle to be fit for a series that England now trail 2-0,The 35-year-old bowler underwent surgery on his left knee in March, sent down 11 overs in the series opener, only to then miss the eight-wicket defeat in Brisbane,“Gutted to be out of the remainder of the Ashes,” Wood said, sharing the news on social media.
“After extensive surgery and 7 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.”The sight of Wood wearing a knee brace over the past fortnight pointed to the problem being serious and, given his injury record, the news is not entirely unexpected.
England’s attempts to get the fastest bowler in the world ready for this tour were understandable, even if it was always a risk,Into the main squad comes Surrey’s Matthew Fisher, 28, who has been part of the shadow Lions tour and won his solitary Test cap in Barbados in 2022,Whether Fisher features in the series appears uncertain, with Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts the unused seamers ahead of him,Though still under contract with England until September next year, Wood’s 10-year international career may sadly be approaching the end,If so then he would sign off as an Ashes winner in 2015, as well as with winners’ medals from the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World Cup in 2022.
Having helped England to battle back from 2-0 down to draw the home Ashes in 2023 – his breathtaking speeds at Headingley changed the entire mood of the series – the hope was of a repeat in Australia.Typical of the man, he felt moved to apologise for the injury and vowed to attempt another comeback.Wood said: “I’m really sorry that has left me unable to perform as expected but it is not for want of trying.I want to thank everyone at home and away in Australia.The barmy army have been class as always and I really appreciate it.
“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.
”Sign up to The SpinSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s actionafter newsletter promotionAustralia have also had a setback, with the news that an achilles injury has ruled out Josh Hazlewood from featuring at all in the series.In his absence, and with Pat Cummins having also missed the first two Tests while completing rehab on a back problem, Mitchell Starc has stepped up with 18 wickets.Cummins, the captain, having missed the opening two Ashes Tests, is expected to return for the third match, which gets under way on 17 December in Adelaide, likewise the spinner Nathan Lyon after missing the day‑night game at the Gabba for tactical reasons.For England, licking their wounds while on a short break in Noosa, north of Brisbane, the challenge will only increase.
Peter Nichols obituary
My friend and former sports-writing colleague at the Observer Peter Nichols, who has died from Parkinson’s-related dementia aged 79, was a man of many talents: drama teacher, Time Out cabaret correspondent, athletics correspondent, London Marathon international race organiser, publisher and award-winning radio scriptwriter.Pete was a sporting Google long before Google was invented. He was a sharer, the go-to source at the seven Olympiads he covered. “Pete was utterly invaluable,” recalls the former Guardian head of sport Ben Clissitt. “His input was the Guardian playbook for our Olympic coverage
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Alex de Minaur on his grand slam dream: ‘Some things may happen, some things may not’
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Michael van Gerwen: ‘Of course I love darts, but I love my kids much more’
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Sabastian Sawe: the marathon star on a mission to be drug tested as much as possible | Sean Ingle
Last week the world’s best marathon runner, Sabastian Sawe, looked me straight in the eye and told me “doping is a cancer”. Then he insisted he was clean. You hear such oaths and affirmations all the time. But, uniquely, Sawe recently backed up those words by asking the Athletics Integrity Unit to test him as much as possible.You see, Sawe believed he could break the world record in Berlin in September
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