Mark Wood, England’s prominent fast bowler, has expressed his doubts about playing in all five Ashes Tests against Australia this summer. Wood was the leading wicket-taker during England’s 4-0 defeat in the 2021-22 Ashes, but he has only played three Tests since then due to injuries.
Speaking to the media ahead of the third ODI against Bangladesh, Wood said that he is unlikely to play in all matches of the Ashes series, citing exhaustion as a major factor. He added that he would play if skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum wanted him to.
Wood has recently been involved in England’s T20Is against Pakistan, the T20 World Cup, and the Test tour to Pakistan. He then took a two-month break before the Bangladesh tour. Currently, he is featuring in England’s three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, which England has already won after winning the first two ODIs.
“I will definitely not play all five (Ashes Tests). I was delighted to play four out of five in Australia. I was knackered, wrecked, exhausted [but] that was a big tick in my box to say that in a big series, I can do it if Stokesy or Baz (McCullum) want me to play,” Wood was quoted by skysports.
England bowling hero Mark Wood finally feels he belongs at Test level after confessing he previously harboured "a lot of self-doubt".
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) February 11, 2019
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Given the quality of the bowling stocks, especially at home, Wood believes he may not even play four Tests. If required, he may be called in for one or two to add the pace element. He also emphasized that if people are playing well, he might not get a chance to play at all.
Wood will play for Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the Bangladesh tour, which starts on March 31. The Ashes series is scheduled to begin on June 16 at Edgbaston, following which he will feature in the Hundred in August.
