Eoin Morgan issues crucial Mark Wood injury update for 3rd T20I

Eoin Morgan is hopeful of having Mark Wood available for the third T20I against India. The England skipper admitted the visitors missed Wood’s express pace during the middle overs.

Mark Wood missed the second India vs England T20I due to injury. Eoin Morgan confirmed the pacer pulled up after the first game, with England replacing him with Tom Curran in the second game.

The visitors lost their second match by seven wickets as India bounced back to level the series 1-1. Eoin Morgan was asked about Mark Wood’s availability at the post-match press conference, and the 34-year-old had this to say:

“I think when a guy bowls 95 miles an hour in the first game and he misses the second, you’re always going to miss him. Particularly in the first game when there was a bit of pace in the wicket. But today it was a different challenge. Woody feels better today, so hopefully, he’ll be fit for the next game. If not, the fourth game.”

This is a forced change - according to Eoin Morgan at the toss, Wood hasn’t pulled up well after game one. https://t.co/SB08ScyzoU

— Rob Johnston (@RobJ_Cricket) March 14, 2021

Mark Wood was a thorn for India’s side during their eight-wicket win a couple of days ago. The fast bowler ran in and bowled hard during the middle overs, preventing India from scoring easy runs during the phase.

He ended the match with figures of 4-0-20-1 and was one of the main reasons why India never recovered from their horror start. England clearly missed his services in the second Test and they will hope to have the 31-year-old back in the side as soon as possible.

One of the England players who has struggled across the first two games is Jos Buttler. The wicket-keeper scored 28 of 24 balls in the first game, but never looked at his fluent best. After Buttler was dismissed for a golden duck in the second game, Eoin Morgan was asked if he had any special advice for the struggling opener.

"Not a lot! There are two aggressive guys (Jos Buttler and Jason Roy) who I want to be as aggressive as they can. Jos (Buttler) while opening the batting for us strikes at 150 and averages about 50. So not a lot you can tell a guy who does that. He just needs to continue to be himself and stick to his process, be as aggressive as you can."

While Jos Buttler has struggled to get going, Jason Roy on the other end has had a solid start to the series. He’s currently the top scorer with 95 runs across two games, with Roy scoring 46 in the second game.

“It’s great to see Jason Roy in form. When he plays like that, he’s very intimidating at the crease. He would have liked to kick on again today but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”

Eoin Morgan expects the pitch to turn for the 3rd T20I

India level the seriesScorecard: https://t.co/5js2yuRi36🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/f8N2cD5wEk

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 14, 2021

Eoin Morgan also had his say on the changing nature of the playing surface in Ahmedabad. With 11 center pitches at the venue, there is a possibility of having different playing surfaces across all five T20Is.

With pitches across the first two games varying in terms of pace, Eoin Morgan admitted England were prepared for the possibility of altering conditions. Eoin Morgan also had a say on the playing surface for the third T20 against India on March 16.

“We were prepared coming into this series. We know what we’re going to play against. The next game is on the red soil that and It is probably going to turn. But these are the challenges we want to play against. Regardless of how we do in this series, we want to learn as much as we can and get that experience under our belt for the World Cup.”