Melbourne [UK], November 15 : England's express pacer Mark Wood was cleared of a hamstring injury scare in a significant relief for his side ahead of the Ashes opener in Perth six days from now, but would not be a part of the final day of England's sole warm-up match at Lilac Hill against England Lions.
During the warm-up clash, after two four-over spells on Friday, Wood experienced some stiffness in his left hamstring and had to leave the ground midway and was sent for scans, as per ESPNCricinfo.
A statement by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, said, "Following precautionary scans on Friday, England fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of any concerns regarding his left hamstring."
The ECB also stated that the pacer will continue to train as planned ahead of the Perth Test, but it remains unclear whether England will consider him for the first Test.
England has been cautious with Wood's rehab from the knee injury that he sustained back in February during the ICC Champions Trophy. He had initially expressed hope of playing the final home Test against India at The Oval, but another setback during his training ruled him out of the home season.
On the first day of the warm-up clash, Wood had delivered some extremely fiery and lively deliveries on a sedate Lilac Hill surface, a suburban ground in the fringes of Perth.
Another express pacer, Brydon Carse, took to the field after being unavailable for the first day of the warm-up match due to illness. Among the pace bowling options in the Ashes squad are: Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Matt Potts, Josh Tongue and skipper Ben Stokes.
Australia's First Test squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
England's squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.
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