Mark Wood‘s chances of lining up in Friday’s first Ashes Test are on the rise after he roared through an “absolutely rapid” spell in the nets in Perth.
Wood has not played competitively since undergoing knee surgery in March and saw his hopes of playing in the series opener thrown into doubt after playing a reduced role in last week’s tour game against England Lions.
But scans on a stiff left hamstring showed no cause for concern and there is renewed optimism in the camp that the quickest bowler in the country could be ready for what is expected to be a fast and furious surface.
Wood was wearing heavy strapping but bowled for around 40 minutes as England trained for the first time at the 60,000-capacity Perth Stadium, increasing his run-up incrementally and working towards full speed.
If he is passed fit it would be a huge boost, particularly given the withdrawals of Australia quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, and team-mate Jamie Smith confirmed Wood was tracking well after facing him from 22 yards.
“He was absolutely rapid today, I can tell you that first hand,” said the wicketkeeper.
“He’s definitely one to avoid on the (practice) list. He’s near enough full tilt so it’s good signs for us. If he feels like he’s good to go and the management feels he’s good to go, I don’t see why not.”
While England have the likes of plenty of seam options at their disposal, Wood’s express pace marks him out as unique. On a pitch that is carrying enough live grass to be nicknamed a ‘green monster’ by local media three days out, England will be eager to see how much the Durham man could unsettle Australia.
And Smith admitted he has the qualities that get batters twitchy.
He added: “I always seem to be stuffed on the board facing him. I know we’ve got guys who are all bowling 90 miles an hour, but there’s some that you are just desperate to avoid and I think Woody is definitely one of them here, with the reputation of these nets.
“It’s obviously great preparation for what we’ve got in store here so you can’t really complain.”
Smith joined Nottinghamshire bowler Josh Tongue in fielding questions at the official series launch, with both men carefully navigating gentle provocations from the Australian contingent.
They were asked how much golf they planned to play before the Test and invited to speak about the notion of ‘moral victories’, both familiar hobby horses, but declined to engage.
Smith was also neutralised on the topic of Jonny Bairstow’s controversial stumping by Alex Carey at Lord’s in 2023.
That wicket, which came as Bairstow left his crease following the final ball of an over, sparked angry scenes on and off the field and remains a source of dispute.
Asked if he would be happy to try a similar dismissal in his first Ashes, Smith said: “Absolutely not. By the sounds of how bouncy and true it is, I might be standing a bit too far back. Some of my throws aren’t the best, so I might not reach the stumps.”
As for Carey, he accepts the episode has placed him in the spotlight.
“In Ashes series you grow up watching, you’ve got your heroes, you’ve got your villains. It depends which side of the fence you sit on,” he said.
“What makes it so special is that we’ve got amazing Australian fans supporting us and you’ve got English fans supporting them – it makes for great viewing.”
PA
