Blow for England! Mark Wood suffers hamstring injury ahead of the Ashes

England’s speedster Mark Wood has given the team an injury scare ahead of their high-octane Ashes 2025-26 series in Australia. Mark Wood is all set to undergo a precautionary scan after feeling discomfort in his hamstring during the first day of the warm-up match against the England Lions in Perth.

The fast bowler bowled just eight overs before leaving the field midway through the afternoon session due to stiffness in his right leg. The England team management confirmed that the move was precautionary, but Wood’s fitness remains under close watch ahead of the iconic Ashes series.

Mark Wood injury scare ahead of Ashes 2025-26

The medical team will assess his condition on Friday, November 14, to rule out any serious injury. Now, England will be hoping it is nothing more than a minor issue, as Wood’s pace and experience make him their key weapon, especially on the fast and bouncy Australian surfaces.

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a media release, “Mark Wood is set to undergo a precautionary scan on Friday, Nov 14, after suffering hamstring stiffness during Day 1 of England's warm-up game against England Lions in Perth. The England fast bowler spent time off the field during the afternoon session, having completed eight overs with the ball. He is expected to bowl again in two days’ time.”

All about Ashes series

Meanwhile, Australia and England get set to face off in the Ashes 2025-26, starting November 21 in Perth. The five-match Test series will run until January 8, with the final game in Sydney. Australia are the defending champions after drawing 2-2 in England in 2023, and this time they’ll be defending the urn at home.

For the first time ever, Perth’s Optus Stadium will host an Ashes Test. All previous Ashes matches in Perth were played at the WACA Ground. Another big change this year is that the high-profile Test series won’t begin at the Gabba in Brisbane for the first time since 1982.

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The Gabba will instead host the second Test from December 4 to 8, and it will be a day-night match with a pink ball. This is the first time an Ashes Test will be played under lights at the Gabba.

After that, the teams will head to the Adelaide Oval for the third Test from December 17 to 21, before moving to the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Boxing Day Test from December 26 to 30. The final test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 4 to 8.

Steve Smith questions England’s bowling strategy ahead of Ashes 2025-26 opener

On the other hand, Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith for the Ashes 2025-26 opener said that England might have chosen the wrong kind of bowlers for the upcoming series. Smith noted that Australian pitches usually help bowlers who can move the ball through seam and swing, rather than those who rely only on raw pace.

Smith told Australian media, “It’s different on the wickets now, I think. I mean, those sorts of nibblers (seamers) can be quite tricky. So, they might have gotten things the wrong way around, if that makes sense, in terms of the pace, from previous years. Obviously, they’ve got those guys at their disposal now. They probably weren’t fit and ready, or old enough, maybe, a few years back. Sometimes the slower guys are almost harder to play on those wickets where you have to make the pace, but yeah, we’ll wait and see, won’t we?”