England dealt a major blow on Sunday as fast bowler Mark Wood was ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against Sri Lanka after scans confirmed a right thigh muscle strain, team management announced Sunday.
Wood, whose career has been blighted by fitness issues, suffered the injury during Friday’s third day of England’s five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Old Trafford. The 34-year-old pacer left the field just two balls into his 11th over and didn’t feature on Saturday as England went 1-0 up in the three-match series by winning with more than a day to spare.
Leicestershire’s 20-year-old left-arm paceman Josh Hull has received his first senior call-up to replace Wood in the squad for the remaining two Tests at Lord’s, starting on Thursday, and at The Oval commencing September 6. The 6ft 7in (2 m) Hull has been a key figure in Leicestershire’s bowling attack of recent seasons and starred in their 2023 One-Day Cup final triumph.
Welcome, Josh Hull!Get well soon, Woody #ENGvSL #EnglandCricket— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 25, 2024
Earlier this month, he made his debut for the second-string England Lions, taking 5-74 in a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka. England already have another fast bowler in their squad in Olly Stone, who did not play in Manchester.
Regular captain Ben Stokes was ruled out of the series by a torn hamstring, with batsman Ollie Pope appointed as stand-in skipper.
England’s Updated Squad:
Ollie Pope (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
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