England have suffered a setback ahead of the second Ashes Test of 2025–26, with fast bowler Mark Wood likely to miss the fixture due to soreness in his left knee, according to a BBC report. The knee, which previously required surgery in March, had already sidelined Wood during England’s home series against Zimbabwe and India.

Wood made his first competitive return since the Champions Trophy in February during the first Ashes Test in Perth. The 35-year-old bowled 11 overs in the match, which saw England defeated by Australia inside two days, the fastest Ashes Test to finish in 104 years.

The bowler missed England’s first training session in Brisbane but has four more days to prove his fitness ahead of the day-night second Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, starting November 4. He remained at the team hotel to rest while the rest of the squad participated in an optional session at Allan Border Field.

Before the Perth Test, Wood had been out of Test cricket for 15 months due to an elbow issue followed by knee surgery. In a warm-up match against the England Lions, he bowled eight overs before feeling tightness in his left hamstring. Scans showed no damage, allowing him to play in Perth, where he finished with match figures of 0–44. His return had enabled England to implement their strategy of deploying high pace against Australia.

In Wood’s likely absence, Josh Tongue is expected to join England’s playing XI for the second Test. Tongue, alongside fellow seamer Matthew Potts and batter Jacob Bethell, has been sent to play in a pink-ball warm-up fixture against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

Wood’s absence will be a blow for England in the Gabba Test, where they have not won since 1986. The 35-year-old starred in England’s last day-night Test in Hobart in 2022, taking 9/152 in the match. England also have a challenging record in pink-ball Tests, winning just two of their previous seven, including three defeats in Australia.