T20 World Cup: Mark Wood gives England injury scare ahead of semi-final in India

Mark Wood has emerged as an injury problem two days out from England’s T20 World Cup semi-final against India after pulling out of training in Adelaide.

Fast bowler Wood, 32, appeared to pull up during a gentle jog at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday and took no further part in the optional session, seemingly a precaution as England confirmed he was suffering from general body stiffness.

Wood has regularly topped 90mph since returning from an elbow injury that kept him out for most of the summer, with the paceman taking four wickets in nine matches so far this World Cup.

Thursday 10 November at 07.00

Tymal Mills would appear to be the most like-for-like replacement if Wood misses the match against India, with the Sussex left-armer also able to bowl at extreme pace.

The concern over Wood is another potential headache England could do without as they are yet to call up Dawid Malan, who tweaked his left groin while playing in last Saturday’s win over Sri Lanka.

The left-hander was said to be quietly optimistic about being involved against India, but England will be reluctant to take any risks given the enormity of what is at stake.

While walking around the outfield before a short jog on Tuesday, Phil Salt, who is likely to come into the side if Malan is unavailable, appeared to have a longer catching session on the boundary.

Rohit will be fit after scare; games to be played on used pitch

India had their own scare when captain Rohit Sharma was hit on the wrist while hitting the nets and required treatment, although he was soon back in training and not considered a doubt.

England discovered on Tuesday that they will be playing on the same pitch that played the New Zealand-Ireland and Australia-Afghanistan doubles on Friday.

A used surface has been something of an Achilles heel in the past but England have beaten New Zealand and Sri Lanka on such wickets and it is not considered a contention.

The ICC has no rule on the use of new or used pitches for any match in an ICC event. Our requirement is the best possible playing surface for every match. It does not necessarily follow that a “new” pitch will be better than one that may have been used before.

Sky Sports Cricket’s Michael Atherton said: “I was commentating on the game between New Zealand and Ireland in Adelaide and it looked like the best pitch I had seen in the tournament.

“It looked good visually and had a nice even cover of grass. It was five days ago and the groundsman will have had time to spray it, roll it, so I expect it to be a good pitch.”

Ben Stokes believes England will have to adapt to the unfamiliar ground dimensions in Adelaide, which are longer straight and shorter square.

He said: “We’ll have to wait and see what the wicket does on Thursday I guess. It’s about assessing and adapting to whatever situation you have in front of you.

“But we’ve been playing on big, square boundaries and trying to get the batsmen to hit them, whereas here we’ll probably have to look to change our tactics.”

Stokes: We are a very difficult team to beat

“The main thing is that we are here and playing in the semi-finals of a World Cup.

“All the games that have gone before we can learn from and take them into this game but now we’re at the crux of the tournament. It’s about turning up and being better than the other team on the day.

“India is a very good team [but] we like to focus on ourselves more than the opposition. We know that if we play anywhere near the ability we have in the dressing room, we’re a very tough team to beat.”

Stokes’ 42 not out from 36 balls helped England to victory over Sri Lanka on Saturday after a collapse in the middle order.

The all-rounder added: “I’d much rather be out there and be able to influence the game than sit there and hope someone else can do it.

“I judged pretty early on that my role in that chase was to be there at the end because we all know how important it is to have an in-batter there when you’re chasing the last overs.

“I think I’ve been in situations like that before [helps]. If you feel you’re under pressure, you just look at the scoreboard and know it’s a ball or a boundary away from taking it completely away from them.”

Watch England’s T20 World Cup semi-final against India live on Sky Sports Cricket on Thursday. An hour-long build-up begins at 7am before an 8am kick-off at Adelaide Oval.