Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood give England fitness worry ahead of Windies Tests

Fitness scares over Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood left England with an unwanted headache ahead of next week’s first Test against the West Indies, with the shadows of James Anderson and Stuart Broad looming large.

In scoreboard terms things went relatively serenely on day three of their warm-up outing in Antigua, with the CWI President’s XI bowled out for 264 on a sluggish surface, but by then the concerns were already elsewhere.

With their two leading wicket-takers controversially axed for this trip, and a backlash bubbling away among their supporters, seeing two more of their first-choice bowlers unable to get on the pitch was the last thing the tourists needed.

Robinson took the first wicket of the day but pulled up mid-way through his fourth over with back pain and was not seen again. For a player who left the field for treatment on several occasions in the Ashes and saw his conditioning publicly called into question by team management, it was a particularly awkward turn of events.

Wood excelled in a losing cause Down Under but has yet to play any part in this match having felt unwell over the past 48 hours. He made a belated, and brief, visit to the Coolidge Cricket Ground before returning to the team hotel to rest up. It is understood England do not suspect Covid-19 and, while they hope he will soon rally, his preparations for the series opener have already been damaged.

In their absence the uncapped pairing of Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher were drafted into the game, but while both acquitted themselves handily neither made a forceful case for inclusion.

Indeed, on a slow pitch that offered minimal encouragement, none of England’s remaining fit seamers were able to make a breakthrough in 44.4 overs between them.