Wood experienced discomfort after bowling his second ball of his 11th over, before aborting his run-up for the third. He immediately left the field and was replaced in the attack by Joe Root, who took the wicket of Milan Rathnayake with the fourth delivery – Root’s second – of the 56th over.
An ECB statement on Saturday morning before the start of day four said that Wood would not take the field. Around half an hour into play, he left Emirates Old Trafford for a scan to determine the full extent of the damage. England are hopeful the issue is a strain rather than a tear.
It seems certain Wood will miss the upcoming Test match at Lord’s, which begins this Thursday, regardless of the results of the scan. And given the 34-year-old’s unique standing as the fastest bowler in the world, England may be reluctant to risk Wood for the final Test at the Kia Oval, which gets underway on September 6.
The loss of Wood was apparent as stand-in captain Ollie Pope oversaw a wicket-less start to day four. Sri Lanka batted past drinks, and through to a rain interruption shortly before lunch without losing a wicket, as Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, who brought up his half-century, extended the lead to 153.