Mark Wood will fly home from Barbados to see a specialist in the UK about the elbow injury that has ended his Caribbean tour and caused his withdrawal from the forthcoming Indian Premier League.
The England fast bowler played in last week’s drawn first Test in Antigua, but after bowling 17 overs in the first innings reported pain in his right elbow and played no further part in the match.
Two sets of scans have determined his series is over, with England simply calling it a “right elbow injury” and stating he will take “an indefinite break from cricket”. A fuller diagnosis will be ascertained once the 32-year-old has been assessed by a consultant in the UK next week.
It is a cruel blow for a bowler who has overcome numerous injuries during his international career and was England’s leading light during an otherwise dismal Ashes series, claiming 17 wickets from the four Tests he played, sustaining remarkable speeds and signing off with match figures of nine for 152 in Hobart.
The injury means Wood will not join his Indian Premier League franchise, Lucknow Super Giants, after the conclusion of this tour. He had picked up a £735,000 deal in last month’s auction but, like the majority of overseas players, is understood to have his contract covered by insurance.
England are yet to decide whether to call for a replacement seamer before next week’s third Test in Grenada. Warwickshire’s Liam Norwell and Sam Cook, of Essex, are on the standby list but their chances of being added to the squad will hinge on the fitness of Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton, both of whom are sitting out the second Test in Barbados.
Robinson was not risked after missing the series opener due to back spasms, while Overton was originally in the XI in Bridgetown, only to pull out through exhaustion on the eve of the match and hand – handing Matthew Fisher his Test debut.
