England fast bowler Mark Wood will miss the final two Test matches against Sri Lanka, Due to a thigh injury.
In the first Test, which England won by five wickets, Wood, 34, departed the field on the third day and did not bowl at all on the last day.
Josh Hull, a seamer from Leicestershire, has been called up to the side to replace Wood, as the second Test gets underway at Lord’s on Thursday.
Hull, 20, made an impression with the England Lions earlier this month when he took 5-74 in the lone warm-up match against Sri Lanka.
Wood, who frequently reached speeds of over ninety miles per hour during the opening Test, is an important member of England’s Test team as they prepare for the Ashes in Australia in 2025–2026.
The pace attack at Lord’s is likely to be led by Chris Woakes, with Matthew Potts, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone and Hull the other seam options in the squad.
Who is Josh Hull?
There has been a buzz about Josh Hull ever since he made his Leicestershire debut last summer.
With height, lively pace and the ability to swing the ball, he is every inch a fast bowler, as if the cricketing gods have built a paceman from scratch.
If England are building an attack to give them as many options as possible, then a left-armer is something they are lacking. Hull’s first-class average of 58 is no indicator of a bowler that has been tearing up the County Championship, yet England have once again picked on attributes and potential, rather than domestic record.
For that reason, Essex’s Sam Cook can feel unfortunate. He was name-checked by managing director Rob Key when James Anderson retired. Cook’s first-class numbers are staggering, but he is not a like-for-like replacement for Wood, who is likely to be fit for the Pakistan tour in October.
If Hull plays, he will become England’s third-youngest seamer in Test cricket, behind Ben Hollioake and Sam Curran. England will not make change for change’s sake, but with two more Tests in two weeks and Chris Woakes struggling on Saturday, there is every chance.