England bowler Mark Wood has accepted he needs a second elbow operation to have any chance of playing at the Twenty20 World Cup later this year.
Wood went under the knife in March after sustaining an injury in the first Test of that month’s West Indies tour and has been gradually making his way towards a return.
After a couple of positive weeks of net practice the 32-year-old paceman turned out for his old club side Ashington at the weekend, taking five for 24 in a North East Premier League clash against Lanchester.
But he suffered an adverse reaction to his outing and medics from the England and Wales Cricket Board now believe another operation is the only way to have him ready for the tournament in Australia in October.
“It’s not going well, actually. I have been bowling for the last two or three weeks in the nets, getting up to good pace, top speed, but it seems to keep deteriorating,” Wood told BBC’s Test Match Special.
“I was desperate to just play any game, so it was nice to play for Ashington, my home club, and just play a match because I feel I’ve worked so hard over the last three months to get it right.
“Unfortunately it has not pulled up well. To be ready for the World Cup I will have to have that surgery done.
“I’m a bit sad and frustrated now, but what can I do? I’ve given it as good a shot as I could.
“When I played that club game it was an indication in a match of how does it actually feel? The next day I can straighten my left arm fully, but my right arm is still sort of bent a little bit.
“There must be something going on there I must need fixed. The frustration for me is I’ve done everything everyone has asked. It’s just not giving me a break.”
Wood is one of a host of England fast bowlers currently out of action due to injury, joining Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher on the sidelines.
