Ace English paceman Mark Wood is likely to miss the final phase of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League 2023. Wood will travel back to his home in England to attend the birth of his second child which is expected to take place at the end of May.
Mark Wood represents the Lucknow Super Giants franchise at the IPL 2023. The Super Giants led by veteran Indian batsman KL Rahul have strong chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the championship, i.e. the Playoffs and Wood will be duly missed at such a crucial stage of the championship.
Mark Wood proved to be sensational for Lucknow in the ongoing season. Though he missed the last two games due to illness, he has scalped 11 wickets in his 4 four appearances of the season including a scintillating five-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals.
Mark Wood will return home for the birth of his Second Child
Notably, Mark Wood and his wife Sarah are expecting their second child towards the end of May. Wood will definitely be alongside his wife at such a vital phase of their relationship. He will fly back to his home somewhere in the latter half of May and will unlikely return back to India.
Mark Wood will return back to the cricketing setup at the crucial Ashes Test series against Australia that will begin in the latter half of June. He will miss England’s solitary Test match that is scheduled to take place against Ireland in the first week of June.
Except for Wood, all the other English cricketers will likely stay back in India till the completion of the IPL. The ECB has always encouraged English cricketers to play in India and get hold of the conditions, especially in view of the approaching World Cup 2023 that is scheduled to take place in the subcontinent nation.
Meanwhile, eminent CSK all-rounder Ben Stokes will also return to England in the last week of May to manage his workload ahead of the national home season. Stokes is England’s Test captain and will be assigned with a crucial responsibility.
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