At the start of the series, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes were the only bowlers in England's Ashes squad to have taken a five-wicket haul in Australia [Getty Images]Matthew Henry - BBC Sport journalistThu, December 4, 2025 at 8:23 AM UTC·2 min readEngland bowler Mark Wood has cast doubt on his availability for the third Ashes Test because of his knee injury.
Wood, 35, returned after a nine-month absence following knee surgery for the first Test in Perth but was ruled out of the second in Brisbane over concerns over his left knee.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere is a week between the scheduled end of the second Test and the start of the third in Adelaide.
"I think there's a chance there [for Adelaide]," Wood told Channel 7.
"More realistically, it's probably more Melbourne and then [Sydney] after that.
"I need to get out of this (brace) first to get moving around."
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Wood is one of the fastest bowlers to play for England but has struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Before Perth he had not played a Test for 15 months, firstly because of an elbow problem, then the surgery on his left knee.
When he made his on-field comeback prior to the first Test, against England Lions in an Ashes warm-up match, Wood managed eight overs before suffering tightness in his left hamstring.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementScans cleared him of any concern in the hamstring and he was passed fit to play in Perth, where he had match figures of 0-44.
Wood's availability helped England execute a long-standing plan to unleash high pace on Australia in this Ashes.
By fielding a five-man pace attack at Perth Stadium, England recorded their fastest collective day of bowling in Test cricket on the opening day of the series.
But England's speeds dropped on day two, as Australia raced to an eight-wicket victory in their second innings.
