The Ashes: England’s Mark Wood exits the field due to a strained hamstring during the Lions tour match

England faces an injury worry regarding fast bowler Mark Wood after he experienced tightness in his left hamstring on the opening day of the Ashes warm-up clash against England Lions.

Wood, participating for the first time since suffering a knee injury back in February, exited the field during the second session at Lilac Hill in Perth.

The 35-year-old is set to undergo a scan on Friday. England is optimistic he can bowl on Saturday’s final day.

Wood bowled eight overs across two spells of four, which England stated was a planned workload.

He appeared to be in good spirits when he left the field, sharing a laugh with England Lions batter Jordan Cox, whom he had just caught near the boundary.

However, any injury to Wood would be a significant concern for England given his medical history.

Wood hasn’t played in a Test since August 2024, when he was sidelined for the remainder of that year due to an elbow injury.

He made a comeback in limited-overs cricket at the start of this year but incurred a knee injury during the Champions Trophy that required surgery.

The hamstring issue is in the same leg where Wood underwent knee surgery.

The warm-up match against the Lions marked Wood’s first cricket in any form in nine months and his first in whites over the past 15 months.

Nonetheless, on a sluggish pitch, he quickly reached high speeds, clocking 91mph during his initial spell.

The England lineup for the tour match seemed to foreshadow their strategy for the first Test, featuring Wood as part of a five-man fast-bowling attack, while frontline spinner Shoaib Bashir played for the Lions.

In recent years, spin has played a lesser role in Tests in Australia, and Optus Stadium, the site for the initial Test against Australia commencing on 21 November, is particularly conducive to seam bowling.

Another England fast bowler, Brydon Carse, missed the opening day of the tour match due to sickness but is anticipated to participate in the upcoming days.

England captain Ben Stokes collected four wickets in the first two sessions in his return to action since July.

The all-rounder has been absent since missing the last Test of the series against India due to a shoulder injury.

Australia captain and fast bowler Pat Cummins is unavailable for the first Test due to a back injury, while fellow pacer Josh Hazlewood has been cleared of a hamstring issue following an injury scare on Wednesday.