'I have been told to stop picking my kids up with my right arm' - Mark Wood opens up on his elbow injury

Mark Wood recently suffered a stress injury on his right elbow. The England pacer revealed that he has been asked to give complete rest to his right hand and do everything with his left hand.

Medical scans revealed the extent of Wood's injury as the 34-year-old pacer will be out of action for the remainder of 2024. The experienced cricketer said that he has been advised to not even lift up his kids with his right hand.

"There is nothing I can really do on my right side. I have been told to stop picking my kids up with my right arm. I have to do everything with my left," Wood said about the injury during an interview on BBC's Test Match Special.

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The injury first came to light during England's three-match Test series against Sri Lanka last month. Initially, Wood was sidelined by a groin strain, but while undergoing scans for the groin issue, his elbow also raised concerns. The scans revealed bone stress in his right elbow and doctors ordered further checks to assess whether the injury could develop into a stress fracture. Wood is targeting a return to competitive cricket in the new year but will have to undergo further tests to get a better idea of the extent of the injury.

"It was a bizarre injury. I had a bit of a groin tweak and went for a scan with a stiff elbow, which is not uncommon for fast bowlers. I thought I might need an injection, but they found bone stress in the elbow. I must have been playing with it," Wood said while explaining the unanticipated nature of the diagnosis.

Mark Wood targeting white-ball tour of India for his comeback

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Wood is looking to regain full fitness in early 2025. He is targeting England's white-ball tour of India and the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, which begins in February 2025.

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England will sorely miss Wood's express pace, which has been a crucial asset for the team, particularly ahead of their Ashes campaign in Australia in 2025-26. With James Anderson retiring earlier this year and Jofra Archer yet to make his Test comeback, Wood's services will be dearly missed by the Three Lions in their red-ball unit.