Wood has been excluded from a 12-man team for Thursday’s Pink Ball Test in Adelaide, despite being fit to play; James Anderson is back on the team after missing the series opener to develop his game sharpness; The second test starts at 4am GMT on Thursday
Mark Wood played impressively for England during the first Ashes Test
England have rolled the dice with another big pick bet ahead of the second Test from the Ashes, leaving out their fastest pitcher Mark Wood for the day and night contest in Adelaide.
Wood has been excluded from a 12-man squad for Thursday’s pink ball event despite being fit to play, a striking call given the way his fast pace unsettled Australia in Brisbane.
The 3-85 numbers didn’t flatter Wood, who hit a top speed of 94 mph at The Gabba, ruled out danger Steve Smith by just 12 and hit the bat consistently.
However, he is the man to make way for the return of James Anderson, who returned to lead the attack after missing out on Game 1 of the series to build his game sharpness.
Stuart Broad, Anderson’s regular opening bowling partner, is included in the team once again, and he also missed the XI for Test 1 in Brisbane.
Wood has a long history of injury problems and hasn’t always been robust enough to string together back-to-back performances but, in the absence of Jofra Archer and Olly Stone, he’s the last England man standing in terms of genuine and heartbreaking. speed.
Putting it on ice with an eye on later games represents a significant risk for a team already 1-0 down, but captain Joe Root, who may be looking at Ben Stokes as an enforcer after being hit in the helmet by his vice. -Captain during a fire spell in the networks on Tuesday, defended the rotation.
“With four tests in the next four weeks, it is important that we keep our bowling group fresh and ready for each test,” he said.
“Mark will play a critical role in this series and we have to make sure he is fresh and able to perform to the best of his ability. With three tests after this, he will be ready to play his role in the rest of the series.”
The final decision of the day could fall to Broad against Jack Leach again, the same poser that England faced last week in Brisbane.
His decision to go with the spinner variety this time around proved divisive, especially when he was hit by 102 runs in 13 overs, and Broad will be desperate to get back to his 150th game this time around.
“Jimmy and Stuart have prepared well before this test. They worked hard in Brisbane and they have been in good rhythm in the sessions that we have had in Adelaide,” said Root.
“Having two of our most experienced couples ready to go to Adelaide is a huge boost for us, especially with the pink ball in play and the game under the spotlight.”
England team for the second ash test: Joe Root (captain), Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.
