England quick keen to prove fitness ahead of Ashes series

Jack Jones

A return to competitive cricket next month for Durham will determine whether Mark Wood makes the trip to Australia for the Ashes series.

Mark Wood, a fast bowler for England, hopes that a return to the county next month would help him demonstrate his health for the much-anticipated Ashes visit at the end of the year.

Wood is just becoming fully recovered from the knee injury he sustained during the ICC Champions Trophy event in February, and he hasn’t participated in an England Test match since August of last year.

The seasoned quick stated that he was on the verge of playing in the last game of England’s most recent home Test series against India, but a training mishap delayed his comeback.

According to Wood, “the injury is all right,” on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

“It was 50-50 whether I was going to make the India Test but I was bowling at Lord’s and then, the next day, my knee swelled up again so I had it drained and since then it’s just been about taking things easy looking ahead to the winter.”

As England looks to win their first Ashes series in Australia since 2011, Wood’s fitness will be vital. The 35-year-old will probably be a key member of the team, along with fellow quicks Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, and even Chris Woakes, if he can get past his own fitness issues.

In order to convince selectors that he should travel to the southern hemisphere and play in the first Test, which starts in Perth on November 21, the right-armer, who took 14 wickets from just three Tests during the most recent Ashes series in England, plans to play at least one county match for Durham over the course of the next month.

Wood is eager to demonstrate that he has overcome his ongoing knee issue as Durham plays Yorkshire (September 24), Worcestershire (September 15), and Essex (beginning September 8) next month.

“I’ll try and play one or two of those matches,” Wood stated.

“I’ve had excellent care and have been really watchful.

“They have an ultimate goal where they want me to travel to Australia, so I value that.

“But I told Baz McCullum, the coach of England, that I couldn’t just bowl to the net for four months or I’d go crazy.

In preparation for Perth, a bowling camp is being set up in a tent in Loughborough. I’ll travel there early with a few bowlers.

“We’ll arrive about week early to prepare and get acclimatised.”

Series schedule:

First Test: Perth Stadium, November 21-25
Second Test: Gabba, December 4-8
Third Test: Adelaide Oval, December 17-21
Fourth Test: MCG, December 26-30
Fifth Test: SCG, January 4-8