GEORGE DOBELL IN ADELAIDE: The Durham quick pulled out of a run around the Adelaide Oval after a few strides and reported feeling general body stiffness
England have fitness concerns over Mark Wood and Dawid Malan going into the men's T20 World Cup semi-final against India on Thursday (November 10).
Malan, who has suffered a minor strain to the left side of his groin, was limited to the most gentle of runs around the Adelaide Oval at training on Tuesday (November 8), while Wood pulled out of the run after a few strides after reporting feeling general body stiffness.
Malan, who is the top-rated T20I batter in the England side, is likely to have a full fitness test on Wednesday (November 9). If he comes through a session of sprinting, it remains possible that he will play on Thursday. The decision over whether he plays will probably be left to him. He did not bat or take part in the fielding session on Tuesday.
There does not seem to be much prospect of him being replaced in the squad. Should England win on Thursday, it is anticipated he would have recovered for the final, which is scheduled to be played on Sunday (November 13) but has a reserve day of Monday. He has not had a scan.
Phil Salt is waiting in the wings if Dawid Malan doesn't pass a fitness test (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)
Phil Salt, who continues to impress in the nets, will replace Malan if he is unable to play. Given the risk of going into the match with any fitness doubt, it remains likely that Malan misses out, but his game would appear to be well-suited to the dimensions of the Oval with its short, square boundaries. He made 80 here in the first innings of the Ashes Test here less than a year ago.
Wood's withdrawal from training appeared to be precautionary. All such sessions are voluntary and, with the games coming thick and fast in recent days, he would not be expected to have a major session. He did not bowl.
Still, there will have been some unease in the England camp at the sight of him walking out of training. He remains very much a point-of-difference bowler in this side and they will be hoping he is able to contribute more in training on Wednesday.
The pitch for the second semi-final is, somewhat surprisingly, used. This will be the third match in the tournament played upon it after Australia v Afghanistan and Ireland v New Zealand. As a result, it is expected to be quite dry.
India and England will play on a used pitch in Adelaide (SURJEET YADAV/AFP via Getty Images)
But it does amount to only 80 overs. And any suggestion that it is going to be a cracked, dustbowl offering copious assistance to spinners seems far-fetched. While there may be just a little grip for the spinners and for cutters bowled by the seamers, it may well prove to be the best batting surface England have encountered in the tournament to date.
Indeed, this could be a high-scoring match. The weather in Adelaide is hotter than England have experienced on the tour to date - it was 32 degrees on Tuesday - and there appears to be less grace on the surface than at previous venues.
At the same time, the square boundaries are significantly shorter than at most of the other venues in the tournament - indeed, there are more than 20m shorter than those in Perth or at the Gabba - so England’s tactic of banging the ball in short and looking to take out-field catches may need revising.
The straight boundaries are long - around 75m at both ends - so England can be expected to bowl fuller than in previous games.
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