Mark Wood, the oldest fast bowler of the England team for the Ashes, has once again been ruled out due to injury. Most likely, in his absence, Josh Tongue is expected to be included in the English squad.
England and Australia begin the Ashes with the first Test in Perth on 21 November; The next Test was 11 days after the first Test, but the match ended in a two-day affair, so the cooling-off period was extended to almost 2 weeks.
England lost the opening match, despite the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, in what was often considered their best chance of winning. After the defeat, the English team will now have to face more shocks due to sudden injuries.
Mark Wood to miss Brisbane Test due to knee pain
35-year-old cricketer Mark Wood is one of the oldest England players in the Ashes squad. He is certain to miss the next match at the Gabba in Brisbane after he experienced knee pain after bowling just 11 overs in the Perth Test.
The Perth Test was Wood’s return to competitive cricket since February 2025, as he recovers from a knee operation. Despite a very light workload in Perth, he will be sidelined once again, and that too just before the pink ball Test.
Mark Wood bowled a spell of 8 overs in the first innings and went wicketless when Australia were all out for just 132 runs, and then bowled a costly spell of three overs in the second innings when Travis Head chased the target with ease.
This also includes that Mark Wood is almost certain to miss the second Test due to a knee problem. The only available player who did not train today but is not expected to be out for long https://t.co/k181KDtvqp
– Will MacPherson (@willis_macp) 29 November 2025
Josh Tongue could replace Mark Wood in England’s bowling lineup
England have gone into attack at full speed; Therefore, he has sidelined spin bowling options from the selection, and there is a possibility that another fast bowler Josh Tong could replace Mark Wood in England’s playing XI for the pink ball Test in Brisbane.
Josh Tongue was among three players released by England from their Ashes squad to play in the pink-ball Test between the Prime Minister’s XI and England Lions in Canberra. Tongue came in contact with the pink ball, although he could not find himself between the wickets.
Matthew Potts and Jacob Bethel were the other two to be released. England could also consider spin options like Shoaib Bashir, who has been their leading spinner in the last season of Test cricket.
Cricket Australia hopes to have Pat Cummins back in Adelaide
Australian captain Pat Cummins once again missed the second Test against England at the Gabba and is now expected to return for the third Test in Adelaide. Cummins will travel with the Australian squad to Brisbane to complete the remainder of his recovery.
Steve Smith will continue to lead Australia for the pink-ball Test, while debutants from the last game, Brendan Doggett, will continue to pair with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.
Also read: KL Rahul highlights the mood in the dressing room regarding Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
