(Reuters) – England pace bowler Mark Wood will be sidelined for four months after having surgery to repair knee ligament damage, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said on Thursday, potentially ruling him out of the home series against India this year.
Wood has had issues with his left knee for a year and the 35-year-old experienced “increased stiffness and discomfort” during England’s Champions Trophy group game against Afghanistan earlier this month, which forced him to leave the field.
Wood has had several surgeries in his career and the ECB said he was targeting a return to full fitness by the end of July.
“I’m gutted to be out for so long after representing England across all formats since the start of last year,” Wood said in a statement.
“But I’ve got every confidence that I’ll be back firing on all cylinders now that I’ve been able to sort my knee out.”
England host Zimbabwe in a one-off test in May followed by two white-ball series against the West Indies.
England then welcome India for a five-match test series which begins on June 20 while the final test will be played from July 31-August 4.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
