Mark Wood, the England pacer of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), will miss the final stages of IPL 2023 to attend the birth of his daughter.
Wood has missed Lucknow Super Giants’ last two matches due to illness but has been a revelation for them this season, taking 11 wickets in his four appearances including 5 for 14 on his debut against Delhi Capitals.
However, Wood and his wife Sarah are expecting their first baby in the month of May and hence the pacer will fly back to England at some point of time in the coming weeks in order to be present at the birth.
The ESPNCricinfo report suggested that it is highly unlikely that Wood will return to India post the birth of his child.
Super Giants play their next fixture against Punjab Kings on April 28, before back-to-back home matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings on May 1 and 3. In Wood’s absence, LSG have employed the services of Naveen Ul Haq.
England And Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Allows Other Players To Play In The Full IPL 2023
While Wood is reportedly returning to England for the birth of his daughter, the majority of England players involved in the competition are expected to stay in India for the whole season.
England plays a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s on June 1, four days after the IPL final, but ESPNCricinfo understands that the ECB does not intend to pull players out of the tournament against their will.
Over the past eight seasons, the ECB has actively encouraged players to visit India to participate in the IPL. The present hierarchy believes that participating in high-stakes knockout matches is the best practice for competing in the semi-finals and finals of international competitions.
They had set a return date for its players in the past to put international commitments before the IPL, but now ECB has decided to manage its players on a case-by-case basis. The league phase of the IPL ends on May 21, with play-off fixtures on May 23, 24, and 26 ahead of the final on May 28.
Ben Stokes is one player who might return back early as injuries have hampered his first season with CSK and he had indicated that he may leave the IPL early to prepare for the Ireland Test.
The other England players likely to be involved in both the IPL and the Ireland Test are Joe Root – who is yet to feature for Rajasthan Royals – and Harry Brook, whose Sunrisers Hyderabad team appears unlikely to reach the play-offs.