PERTH, Australia (AP) 鈥� England fast bowler Mark Wood could play in the first Ashes test against Australia starting next Friday after scans cleared him of a hamstring injury.
in his left hamstring after bowling his eighth over on the opening day of England鈥檚 three-day warm-up match at Lilac Hill in Perth on Thursday. The 35-year-old Wood was playing his first match since undergoing in March.
The England team said in a statement Saturday that scans have cleared him of any damage and that he would train next week in a bid to prove his fitness for the first test in Perth.
鈥淔ollowing precautionary scans on Friday, England fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of any concerns regarding his left hamstring,鈥� England said in a statement. 鈥淲ood will continue to train as planned in the build-up to the first test in Perth.鈥�
who returned figures of 1-51 from 12.3 overs on a docile pitch during the Lions鈥� first-innings total of 375, looms as a more likely option for the opening test than Wood.
Archer has played just two tests over the past four years, but the injury-prone fast bowler has played for England in ODI and T20 formats in recent months.
England鈥檚 decision to use a sole three-day intra-team match as its only preparation for the Ashes
Australia captain and fast bowler Pat Cummins has already been .
The Nov. 21-25 Perth match will be followed by a day-night test at the Gabba in Brisbane starting Dec. 4, then the series moves to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
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