England Test team receives massive boost with Mark Wood’s potential return date

The England Test side has received a massive boost in their quest to beat India at home in the ongoing five-match Test series. Already without several first-team quicks for the series opener at Headingley in Leeds, England could acquire Mark Wood’s services at some point during this two-month window, with the latest reports suggesting that Wood has been targeting his return to the Test side sooner than expected. Fastest English bowler, alongside Jofra Archer, Wood has been out of action with a knee injury since England’s shocking loss to Afghanistan during the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

Wood, 35, put his heart on the table while chatting about his latest injury and a potential return date on the sidelines of day two of the first Test between India and England.

"[The knee is] not bad. Slow progress," Wood said of his injury. "It's not gone as quick as I'd have wanted, but this last little bit, I'm starting to kick on, and I'm bowling again.

"I'm not too far away now; maybe the last game of the series, I can try and aim for. That's at the forefront of my mind,” he said in a chat with Sky Sports.

Meanwhile, England is missing several quicks like Archer, Olly Stone and Gus Atkinson, all absent due to respective injuries. However, the chief selector, Luke Wright, has suggested that Archer is the closest of them all to return to action, with the second Test at Edgbaston being the one to mark Archer’s comeback to red-ball cricket after four years.

He has been out with a thumb injury, but his team captain, Ben Stokes, feels none is as desperate to wear back the white jersey as him.

"Randomly, a couple of times he would just send me a text saying, ‘Zim [babwe]?'" said Stokes, referencing England's innings victory at Trent Bridge in May. "I was like, 'Let's just hold it there, alright. I know you're in a good spot right now, but let's not just rush into it'.

"He's obviously had a horrific time with injuries, but he's had some good amount of cricket, albeit in the white-ball formats.

"It's really exciting for England, but also more exciting for Jof (Jofra) that he's in a position now where we're able to have a plan in place, and hopefully him get through something to actually be considered for selection for Test cricket,” Stokes said ahead of the first Test against India.

Meanwhile, bowling first, England dismissed India on 471 in the first innings in Leeds.