MELBOURNE (Reuters) – England fast bowler Mark Wood and batsman Dawid Malan are injury doubts ahead of Thursday’s Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against India, captain Jos Buttler said.
Express paceman Wood withdrew from training on Tuesday with the team saying he had “body stiffness”, while Malan had a groin strain in the Super 12 win over Sri Lanka.
Buttler said the decision to include the duo lay with medical staff ahead of the match at Adelaide Oval.
“We trust those two guys as well and we’ll give them as long as possible (to prove their fitness),” Buttler told reporters at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
“As always we have 15 guys preparing to play.”
The unused Phil Salt is the only batting cover in England’s squad and could slot in for number three batsman Malan, though selectors might opt for an extra bowler.
“I think he has a fantastic mindset for the T20 format,” Buttler said of hard-hitting wicketkeeper Salt, who knows the venue well as a member of Big Bash League side Adelaide Strikers. “He certainly doesn’t fear anyone.
“Certainly, I wouldn’t expect to see anything else from him if he gets the chance to play.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
