Wood ruled out of rest of England’s Tests against Sri Lanka; Hull named replacement

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) England pacer Mark Wood has been ruled out of the remainder of ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka after suffering a right thigh muscle strain. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named Leicestershire left-arm fast-bowler Josh Hull as his replacement.

On day three of first Test at Old Trafford, Wood left the field immediately after bowling two deliveries into his 11th over in Sri Lanka's second innings. he remaining deliveries of the 56th over were bowled by Joe Root, who managed to pick up the wicket of Milan Rathnayake with his part-time off-spin.

Ahead of day four’s play, ECB said Wood would not take the field after sustaining a right-thigh muscle injury, as the hosts’ eventually defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets. In its statement on Sunday, the ECB said scans confirmed a right thigh muscle strain for Wood and he’s now subsequently ruled out of the for remaining two Tests - at Lord's, starting on Thursday, and at the Oval on September 6.

Hull, who stands at 6ft 7in, has been a pivotal figure in Leicestershire's bowling attack and played a crucial role in their 2023 One-Day Cup victory. Earlier this month, he made his debut for the England Lions against the touring Sri Lankan team, and picked 5-74 in the Lions' seven-wicket victory.

Hull, who brings a point of difference with his left-arm bowling angle, joined the Leicestershire senior team in 2022 as an 18-year-old, and hails from the club's Academy system.

In nine first-class matches, Hull has picked 15 scalps, though it is his potential which excites English cricket ecosystem. He now joins the England bowling line-up featuring Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts, Gus Atkinson and Olly Stone.

ECB added the England squad will assemble in London on Monday night ahead of the second Test at Lord's, where the Ollie Pope-led side enters with a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

England Men's Test Squad: Ollie Pope (Captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes.

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