Ed Smith insists Mark Wood will not be swayed from pursuing white-ball only career

The Durham seamer has hinted as possible abandoning the relentless Test cricket scene and is targetting an IPL contract in 2021

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England will not stand in Mark Wood's way if the Durham seamer pursues a white-ball only career in the near future.

The 30-year-old has hinted at an exclusive limited-overs career due to his constant injury problems.

Wood was fully fit for much of the summer but only played a single Test and was overlooked for a red-ball central contract.

He has since spoken of the emotional turmoil which comes with constant spells of rehab and revealed his intention to win an IPL contract in 2021 - a year which ends with the Ashes in Australia.

National selector Ed Smith says the team will continue to monitor Wood's fitness but that if he chooses the white-ball only route he will be free to do so.

"We'll work with him," he said of Wood, who is part of the ODI and T20 squads for the upcoming South Africa tour. "We'll try and get the best out of him, try and keep him fit. The medical team have put a lot of work into Mark as they should because he's a trusted and important part of the England setup. But sometimes players have to work out what they want to do with their own careers.

Smith added: "We just don't know what is going to happen with Mark Wood's IPL career and what that ends up looking like. 

"Traditionally he's not had a taxing workload when he's been out there (in 2018 he played one match for Chennai Super Kings). We as selectors will be watching that closely and we'll be doing everything we can for him to be at his best for England."

England T20 and ODI squads for South Africa confirmed

There still remains a degree of uncertainty over the rest of England's winter schedule - Test series against India and Sri Lanka are in the pipeline but the fixtures are yet to be confirmed.

One player destined to miss those tours, wherever and whenever they occur, is Adil Rashid. A Test return for the Yorkshire spinner has been widely debated in recent months, but Rashid appears to have taken the decision to allow his troublesome shoulder to improve further.

"At the moment there is a real question mark over whether Adil feels it is the right thing to push that the play four and five-day cricket," explained Smith.

"At the moment that doesn't seem likely in the medium term. However, there might be at a time when he feels that is something he is able to do.

"There is a concern on Adil's part that his excellent recovery from a shoulder injury and his terrific form in white-ball cricket is something he has to balance."