Following knee surgery, Mark Wood says he is enjoying bowling again after a “boring” six months of rehabilitation. He is eager to be as “fresh as I can be” for the first Test of the Ashes, which will take place at Optus Stadium in Perth in two weeks.
The fastest bowler in England, Mark Wood, participated in four of the five Test matches during the country’s most recent Ashes tour in 2021–2022. He took 17 wickets, including a career-high 6 for 37 in the fourth Test in Hobart.
However, because to Western Australia’s stringent Covid regulation, he was unable to play in Perth, which is notorious for having Australia’s fastest surfaces. His only exposure to the speed and bounce available, however, was during England’s successful 2022 T20 World Cup campaign.
After taking five wickets in two victories over Afghanistan and Australia (in a bilateral match played prior to the tournament), Mark Wood recalled, “It was rapid.” “I’m not sure my back is looking forward to it, but my bowling is definitely looking forward to it.”
Mark Wood ability to reach speeds in the mid-to-high 90s (155 kph) is a key component of England’s approach as they look to snap a three-match losing streak in the Ashes, which dates back to their most recent victory in the nation in 2010–11.
“Don’t try as hard and bowl 130[kph]? ” Wood quipped when asked if England had a backup plan in case their all-out pace philosophy turned out to be the incorrect one. We’ll be putting in our best effort. Given the kind of bowlers we are, I’m not sure whether it’s in our nature to not give it our all. We shall see, but I am not sure whether it is good enough. I believe there is a calm confidence in our group that we can succeed here, even if Australia is clearly the favorite going into the series.”
The England warm-up match against the England Lions next week is Mark Wood only chance to test his match fitness, therefore he’s unlikely to go full throttle until he’s out in the middle, as he has demonstrated in his prior injury comebacks.
When he said, “I wouldn’t say I’m at 100%,” “I believe that training at 100% all the time is really difficult. I’ve been attempting to simply increase the intensity as I go along, leaving my complete run-up and other things behind. In the upcoming practice game, I’m confident I can attempt to step it up a bit further and progressively prepare for that first game.”
Given the extensive preparations that went into its 2010–11 victory, England has come under fire for lacking meaningful warm-up games. But Wood said he wasn’t worried, pointing to the team’s unexpected victory against India in Hyderabad two winters ago as evidence of their potential in the first Test match of the series.
“The schedule is the schedule, I’m happy with what we’ve done,” he replied. We haven’t played many games in India lately, so we jumped right in and won the first one.
As a group, we will have been here for, perhaps, two or three weeks. I think the build-up to that first game is sufficient. I guess everyone is different, and some people may want more, but I want to feel new when I play that first game, having done just enough, but not too much. I want to be as fresh and mint as possible for that game. We have bowlers in good depth, and even if one is out of the game, he will be ready for the next one.”
The “damp and cold” back home, where he spent much of his preparation in a heated tent on the outfield to try to simulate the humid conditions in Australia, had been a far cry from England’s outdoor training sessions at Lilac Hill, Wood added.
“It was boring to start with, bowling by myself, but to now bowl in front of the batters, it’s exciting,” said Wood. “I can already feel the excitement building for the first game, and it feels like the tour is just getting started.
“I was utilizing my prior experience playing here to visualize the stadium and my run-up as I was running on the treadmill at home. Running in my home’s chilly, dark garage was much more motivating. Now that I’m prepared for this, I’m much more in line with it.
“It was never just a straight trajectory,” he remarked, describing the highs and lows of his successful knee ligament surgery comeback. “There were times when I wasn’t performing as well, and I had to become better. It’s good to be outside in pleasant weather at last, and the temperature is rising.”
Ben Stokes, England’s captain, was referred to as “England’s Cocky Captain Complainer” in the West Australia newspaper, one of the many headlines from England’s arrival in Perth. However, Wood claimed that the team had handled the pre-series enthusiasm well.
“It’s been great,” explained Mark Wood.
“It includes all of that. Newspapers and other things haven’t really caught my attention, but Australians have generally responded really well to us.
Everyone is thrilled about the series and has been incredibly friendly while out and about in the hotel and in Perth. It’s a major build-up, and the fact that there is so much news surrounding it further heightens the excitement. There are many English coming home. I felt as though every man from England was passing me as I strolled down the street. I therefore believe that the Barmy Army will be right behind us and in full voice.”
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