England thunderbolt pacer Mark Wood will not be a part of the latter stages of the IPL due to personal commitments. The majority of the England players competing in the competition are anticipated to remain in India for the entire season, however, he will travel to England to attend the birth of his daughter in late May.
Why is Mark Wood not available?
Wood will fly home at some time in the upcoming weeks to be there with his wife, who is expected to deliver her second child at the end of the month of May. It seems improbable at this point that he would later travel back to India.
Wood has been a revelation for Lucknow Super Giants this season, taking 11 wickets in his four appearances, including 5 for 14 on his debut against Delhi Capitals. However, he has missed the team’s last two games owing to illness.
On Friday, April 28, Lucknow will play their upcoming game against Punjab Kings. After that, on May 1 and May 3, they will host back-to-back games against Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. In Wood’s absence, Afghan seamer Naveen-ul-Haq has played for LSG and has bowled exceptionally well in his first two games.
The IPL final will be followed by a one-off Test match between England and Ireland at Lord’s on June 1. According to ESPN Cricinfo, the ECB does not require players to withdraw from the competition and has also guaranteed the BCCI and the respective franchises that the players will be available throughout the tournament.
For the past eight IPL seasons, the ECB has encouraged players to play in India to gain experience, and ECB officials are aware that playing in knockout matches helps players better prepare for playing in the semifinals or final, should a team like England advance to the ODI World Cup final, which will take place in India in October of this year.
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