Wood has been in the UK recovering from a hip injury sustained throughout England’s profitable T20 World Cup marketing campaign and can be part of up with the Test squad in Rawalpindi this weekend. Though the injury dominated the 32-12 months-outdated out of the semi-closing towards India, he was thought of match to play in the ultimate towards Pakistan earlier than it was determined to not take a danger with choice for such a excessive-profile match.
His rehabilitation is claimed to be monitoring nicely. However, with simply three coaching days forward of the beginning of the collection on December 1, it appears unlikely he’ll be capable to accrue the required variety of overs at a excessive sufficient depth to arrange himself for the rigours of a Test match.
Wood returned to worldwide responsibility in Pakistan throughout the T20Is after lacking the 2022 summer time and confirmed how essential his tempo was as a degree of distinction, with six wickets at 7.33 in his two appearances in the seven-match collection. He carried that kind into the World Cup, with 9 wickets at 12.00 in 4 matches, bowling the quickest spells and even strolling away with the quickest supply of the event – a full supply at 154.74kph to New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips.
“No, we’re sticking with it,” mentioned Stokes. “We’re not going to call up another seamer to this group.
“We took the choice to let Brooky and Woody spend that point at residence, clearly being at Pakistan and the World Cup,” Stokes said. “We felt per week at residence for them can be extra helpful, simply to get their batteries recharged, and clearly with Woody’s injury, getting residence and being round his spouse and baby can be higher than being out right here and getting all his rehab, which he might do at residence.
“We’ve let them go home. I haven’t had much contact with them, just to let them chill out and relax. From all reports, Woody’s coming on nicely and we’ll see how he is when he gets out here.”
It was an enormous present of religion in an 18-12 months-outdated with simply three first-class matches to his identify, however these on the ECB, significantly efficiency director Mo Bobat, are satisfied he’s prepared for this elevation.
Stokes evidently feels the identical. When requested if he would have any qualms choosing Ahmed in an XI this winter, he was unequivocal in response: “No, absolutely not. That was one of the things where we said ‘yes, we are bringing him into the squad to give him that experience and get him involved’. If anything came down to it and we felt like we wanted to select him, then we definitely would.
“He’s clearly not the completed article but, however we really feel with somebody like that – the best way that he bowls, the best way that he bats – getting him into this atmosphere will do him the world of fine. Being round all of the senior gamers and attending to work with one of the best coaches in the world, in my opinion, is barely going to do him the world of fine.
“I don’t think this should be looked at as a huge amount of pressure put on his shoulders. I think it should be looked as a great opportunity for a young lad to come in, to be in this environment, and be able to work on his skills. And then hopefully, who knows where the next two or three years will take him. We just wanted to get him in and make him feel comfortable around the ground.
Stokes himself has been stepping up his work since the World Cup. He took no part in the first two days of the match between the Test squad and England Lions, instead opting to net and bowl in the middle during the intervals.
“I checked out this fixture right here in explicit, and actually thought I’d get extra out of those three days coaching,” Stokes said. “Getting my bowling workloads again up once more after having a break after the World Cup in explicit. I like engaged on my expertise in the nets somewhat than being on the market in the center. I’ve actually benefited from these three days, positively, and simply because I’ve missed this recreation, I do not really feel like I’ve missed a trick or really feel underprepared. We’ve nonetheless obtained three days out in Pakistan to arrange for the first Test.
“There’s no injury within the group which is great – the first time in a while, so that’s good. We’ve had a few lads on the Test tour be out here with the Lions a couple of weeks before we met up. It’s all about peaking at the right time and the message at the start of the camp was to build up towards two days before that Test, and still have something left in the tank to get going, because you don’t want to burn yourself out now and almost be ready a week too early.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an affiliate editor at ESPNcricinfo