Mark Wood likely to miss first Test match against Pakistan

Mark Wood, England's leading pacer, is doubtful for the first match of the historic Test series against Pakistan due to a hip injury, according to the English newspaper The Telegraph on Friday.

Wood sustained the injury during England's successful T20 World Cup campaign, forcing him to miss the semi-final against India and the final against Pakistan.

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Despite reports that Wood's rehabilitation is progressing well, it is unlikely that the pacer will gain enough fitness to prepare for the rigors of a Test match with only three training days remaining before the series begins on December 1.

The right-arm pacer, on the other hand, will travel with England's squad to Pakistan on Sunday (November 27) to play a historic series after  17 years.

Ben Stokes also confirmed that Wood's absence from Abu Dhabi's leg of training, where they played a training match against the England Lions, had nothing to do with the latter's injury and that Wood and Harry Brook were given time off at home due to excessive workload.

“No, we’re sticking with it,” said Stokes. “We’re not going to call up another seamer to this group.

“We decided to let Brooky and Woody spend that time at home, obviously being at Pakistan and the World Cup,” Stokes said. “We felt a week at home for them would be more beneficial, to get their batteries recharged, and obviously, with Woody’s injury, getting home and being around his wife and child would be better than being out here and getting all his rehab, which he could do at home.

“We’ve let them go home. I haven’t had much contact with them, just to let them chill out and relax. From all reports, Woody’s coming on nicely, and we’ll see how he is when he gets out here.”

Despite Stokes' denial that a seamer would be called up, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made an eleventh-hour addition when Rehan Ahmed was officially called up to the Pakistan-bound squad.

The historic three-match series between Pakistan and England will be played from December 1 to 21 in Rawalpindi, Multan, and Karachi, respectively.