MARK WOOD endured the grimly familiar experience of trudging off a cricket field not knowing when he will be fit to play again.
Only this time, the anguish was ten times more shattering because Durham fast bowler Wood’s participation in the World Cup is now under a cloud.
He felt pain in his left foot in the warm-up match against Australia in Southampton Saturday and departed for the dressing-room after bowling just 3.1 overs.
It is the same foot on which Wood has undergone three ankle operations and caused a career full of misery. This was only the second time he has bowled in a match this summer.
Wood went to hospital for a scan described as “precautionary” but there is no doubt England are concerned.
To make matters worse for England, they conceded a century to Steve Smith, of all people, and lost by 12 runs in a match they should have won.
The high-speed bowling partnership of Wood and Jofra Archer is meant to be one of England’s big weapons as they seek to win the World Cup for the first time.
The recurrence of Wood’s problem was the most worrying aspect of a surreal day during which almost half the squad seemed to require treatment or took painkillers.
It became so bad that a member of the backroom staff was forced to come on as sub fielder at least five times during Australia’s innings.
Fortunately for England, it was fielding coach Paul Collingwood, still nimble even though he is 43 on Sunday. Colly has been in the wars himself recently after an eye operation. Thankfully, the patch was removed a few days ago.
He wore Wood’s England shirt so the ‘Colling’ part of his name was missing.
Collingwood would not be allowed to field in the tournament proper but non-members of the squad can take part in warm-ups.
Joe Root, who was due to miss the match because of the death of his grandfather on Thursday, was also pressed into service as a sub fielder.
With Smith ignoring the boos and making a high-class century, Australia reached 297-9 and England, despite looking on course for most of their innings, ultimately fell short.
As of last night, the casualty list looked like this…
Let’s hope these are nothing more than minor issues but, coming just 24 hours after Morgan’s mishap, England have not had a great couple of days. They play Afghanistan in their final warm-up match at the Oval tomorrow (Mon).
Stand-in skipper Jos Buttler said: “We’ll see how Mark is in the morning after his scan. It’s something he’s battled over time and it’s frustrating for him. But he puts in all the work and he’s in the best hands.
“Colly is still moving pretty well. He had an eye operation a few days ago so was pretty much fielding with one eye and from memory!
“Injuries do happen, it is the nature of professional sport but everything is heightened around the World Cup. We’ll have more niggles and so will other teams.”
England intended using just 11 players but, with the various ailments, the whole squad other than Morgan featured at some point.
David Warner and Smith were both booed enthusiastically and they can expect much worse this summer – especially in the First Test of the Ashes series at Edgbaston on August 1.
Smith was in cracking form. He will know runs are the best way of silencing the mickey-takers.
Liam Plunkett did not bowl especially well but, once more, he showed his happy knack of securing wickets – four of them, this time.
In reply, James Vince made 64 and Jos Buttler’s 52 from 32 balls – including 24 from an over by Nathan Coulter-Nile – kept the run-rate under control..
But Buttler chipped to mid-wicket and Vince was caught at short third man. There were several contributions down the order but nothing big enough to take England home.
