Advertisement

T20 World Cup: England set to remain without Mark Wood for key Australia clash

Mark Wood has yet to feature for England at the T20 World Cup  (Getty Images)
Mark Wood has yet to feature for England at the T20 World Cup (Getty Images)

England are set to be without Mark Wood for the third straight game at the T20 World Cup in Saturday’s crunch clash with Australia in Dubai.

Both sides have won their first two matches, with Australia easing past Sri Lanka on Thursday, and victory all but ensures qualification for the semi-finals with two Super 12 matches remaining.

Wood had an injection in his ankle before England’s opener against West Indies and also sat out the win over Bangladesh on Tuesday.

He looks overwhelmingly unlikely to play on Saturday, but it is hoped he could feature in Monday’s match against Sri Lanka. The short turnaround means that England are likely to want to tweak their team for that fixture.

With the Ashes looming, Wood is a vital player for England this winter, so they want to take no risks.

Tom Curran, the reserve seamer, has also been sitting out with a knee injury and will not play on Saturday.

Australia kicked their campaign into life with a thumping victory that saw David Warner return to form with 65 from 42 balls. Pat Cummins, the vice-captain, predicts his team-mate will be in the runs again this weekend.

“He’s a big-game player” he said. “I’m sure tomorrow you’ll see him puffing his chest out and he’s someone that our whole team absolutely loves playing alongside.

“We all go with him and back him up. It’s fantastic to see him back in the runs, we always knew they weren’t far away.”

Read More

T20 World Cup 2021 leading wicket takers: Top bowler standings - Shakib Al Hasan leads

T20 World Cup 2021 leading run scorers: Top batter standings - Mushfiqur Rahim top

T20 World Cup 2021: Fixtures, results, schedule, Super 12 group tables, squads - Australia thrash Sri Lanka

T20 World Cup: England’s chemistry gives them a winning formula to overcome changes to bowling attack

Quinton de Kock says sorry for refusing to take the knee at T20 World Cup