New Delhi: A right thigh muscle strain ruled out England pacer Mark Wood from the remainder of the Test series against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Test scans confirmed that the right armer will be unable to take part against Lanka, the team management said, marking another injury setback for Wood.
The tearaway picked up the injury during England’s five-wicket win over Sri Lanka during third day of the first Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Wood, 34, had to leave the field on Friday after bowling only two balls of his 11th over and didn’t take the field on Saturday.
After winning the first Test, England are 1-0 up in the three-match series, having won the first game with over a day to spare.
As cover for Wood, Leicestershire’s 20-year-old left-armer Josh Hull has been called up to the senior team for the first time.
The second Test match begins at Lord’s on Thursday while third and final game will be at The Oval from September 6.
Hull, all of 6ft 7in, has been pivotal in Leicestershire’s bowling line-uo in recent seasons and helped them win the 2023 One-Day Cup. But fellow pacer Olly Stone could get the nod over him to play his first Test in three years.
The 20-year-old Hull has featured in only nine first-class matches, claiming 15 wickets at an average of 58.06. He made his debut for the England Lions earlier in August and took 5/74 in their seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
“It was about half nine (2030 GMT) last (Saturday) night when I got the call from Brendon McCullum. It’s a very special moment,” Hull told BBC Radio Leicester.
“It’s come around pretty quickly, I didn’t think it would happen this fast, but I am really excited to be joining them.
“I was happy with how I performed (for the England Lions) but I never thought it would lead to a call this early.
“They’ve got Olly Stone there as the first replacement, so it will be a great opportunity to join up and be part of that environment.”
As cover for the injured Mark Wood, 20-year-old left-armer Josh Hull has been called up to the England senior team for the first time. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
