England pacer Mark Wood could miss the first three Tests of a five-match series against India scheduled to be played at the start of next year. Wood has signed for the Dubai Capitals and will be playing in the International League T20, starting on January 13, 2024.
The T20 league will clash with the India-England bilateral Test series slated to being from January 25 next year and continue till the second week of March.
Wood was the game changer for England alongside Chris Woakes as the duo turned the tables for England in the Ashes 2023 after their inclusion from the third Test onwards.
He was bowling at a fiery pace troubling Australian batters consistently.
Wood performed brilliantly, picking up 14 scalps in three matches at an average of 20.21.
He’s yet to play a Test on the Indian soil but his sporadic appearances in Indian conditions and current form make him an invaluable asset.
In the series against Pakistan last year, Wood played 2 of the 3-match series which the English side won with a clean sweep. He picked up 8 wickets at an average of 20.38.
Wood also made a promising start in the IPL earlier this year in which he plays for the Lucknow Super Giants. The pacer played five matches and took 11 wickets including a five-wicket haul. The pacer had to leave the tournament due to personal reasons.
England suffered a 1-3 series defeat to India on their last Test tour of the country under Joe Root’s captaincy. The tourists though took a 1-0 lead after winning the first Test but then succumb to the guile of Ravichandran Ashwin as the series progressed.
The spin duo of Ashwin and Axar Patel wreaked havoc and finished with 59 wickets between them during the four-match series.
With Ben Stokes now leading the England Test team, ‘Bazball’ will be on full display in India, and it will be exciting to see their aggresive brand of cricket works in spin-friendly conditions.
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