Why is Mark Wood not bowling today on Day 4 of ENG vs SL 2024 1st Test?
England pacer Mark Wood will no longer be taking part in the ongoing first ENG vs SL Test match. The match is being played at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
Wood had a good outing with the ball in the first innings. The pacer picked up the wicket of Kusal Mendis while bowling eight overs and conceding 31 runs. He also entertained the patrons in the stands with his batting, as he walked out at number 10 and scored 22 runs off 13 balls, including three fours and a maximum.
Two balls into the 56th over, Mark Wood felt some discomfort and pulled out of his run-up. He hobbled off the field, with Root completing the over and also getting the wicket of Milan Rathnayake.
After examinations, it was revealed that the 34-year-old sustained a right thigh muscle injury. England Cricket took to their official account on X and put out the following tweet:
"Speedy recovery, Woody 🙏 Mark Wood has sustained a right thigh muscle injury. He won't return to the field today and will continue to be assessed by the England medical team."
You can watch the post below:
Sri Lanka lead by 82 runs as Day 4 of the ENG vs SL 2024 first Test gets underway
After winning the toss and batting first, Sri Lanka managed to post 236 runs in their first innings. They were staring down the barrel after finding themselves 6/3, but vital half-centuries from skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (74 off 84) and Milan Rathnayake (72 off 135) helped them put up a good total.
England were challenged by the Lankan side as they found themselves on 187/5, but a maiden Test ton by Jamie Smith (111 off 148) partnered with some lower-order resistance from Chris Woakes (22 off 65), Gus Atkinson (20 off 65) and Mark Wood (22 off 13) ensured England scored 358 and took a lead worth 122 runs.
Sri Lanka batted again on Day 3. They didn't lose wickets early on but bowlers made inroads at regular intervals. However, fifties from Angelo Mathews (65 off 145) and Kamindu Mendis ensured Sri Lanka eclipsed the trail and were in the lead.
Sri Lanka scored 204/6 in their 60 overs and lead by 82 runs. Kamindu Mendis (56 off 109*) and Dinesh Chandimal (20 off 28) will continue to bat in the middle for the visitors.