England’s Wood cleared of hamstring injury

England fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of any concerns over his left hamstring following a scan in Perth.

Wood gave England an injury scare on the first day of their Ashes warm-up game against England Lions when he left the field suffering tightness in his hamstring.

It was the same left leg on which the 35-year-old had surgery after sustaining a knee injury in February.

In his first action since the surgery, Wood bowled two four-over spells before leaving the field on Thursday.

The Durham man had a scan on Friday and has been given the go-ahead to resume preparations for the first Test against Australia at Optus Stadium on 21 November.

Wood was cleared of an injury on the same day Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the first Test with a hamstring problem of his own.

Wood will not take part in Saturday’s final day of the tour game at Lilac Hill, but England said he will «continue to train as planned» in the build-up to the first Test.

It is a huge boost for Wood, possibly the fastest bowler to ever play for England, albeit in a 37-Test career that has been blighted by injuries.

He has not played a Test since August 2024, first because of an elbow problem, then the knee injury.

Despite the long absence, England were keen for Wood to be in their XI for the first Test, alongside Jofra Archer, to hit Australia with pace on what is expected to be a lively surface at Optus Stadium.

The tourists hinted at their plans for the Ashes opener by naming five pace bowlers, including Wood and Archer, in their XI for the tour game against the Lions.

Now England will have to weigh up including Wood in their team for the first Test and how it would affect the balance of their attack if he is not risked. Josh Tongue could be included as a like-for-like replacement, or England could turn to a spin option in Shoaib Bashir or Will Jacks.

If Wood does not play in the first Test, there is the option to build his fitness in Lions fixtures.

The Lions meet a Cricket Australia XI at Lilac Hill at the same time as the first Test, then move on to a two-day pink-ball game against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

Meanwhile, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has been ruled out of the remainder of England Lions’ tour with a leg injury.

Ahmed missed out on selection for the Ashes squad when England preferred Jacks as their second spinner.

The 21-year-old will return to the UK but is expected to be fit to play for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash from next month.