Wood is likely to make his comeback during the Twenty20 series against South Africa in February

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

England pace bowler Mark Wood’s chronic ankle problems have been well documented in the past, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have finally decided to take action by letting him go under the knife next week.

Wood, who has fought his way through the pain for six months, was ruled out of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah earlier this month due to his left ankle problems.

After returning home and visiting a specialist, surgery was recommended and the 25-year-old is expected to need at least eight weeks to recover.

Wood will definitely not feature in the upcoming Test series against South Africa and is likely to miss the ODIs as well. However, he could make his comeback in the Twenty20 series in February before trying to earn a spot on England’s team for the World Twenty20 in India in March.

Meanwhile, fellow seamer Steven Finn has also been ruled out as he is still recovering from a bone stress injury to his left foot.

“Wood will undergo ankle surgery next week and Finn will continue his recovery from a bone stress injury,” an ECB statement said. “Further details on their rehabilitation and back-to-bowling programmes will be provided in due course.”