England's Paceman Mark Wood Reveals Quiet Confidence for Ashes Opener
Wood has not played a Test for over a year.
The English pace spearhead Mark Wood says he is "quietly confident" of being fit for the first Test of cricket's greatest rivalry down under.
Wood has not played since a Champions Trophy defeat against Afghanistan in February and had an operation on a left knee injury this spring.
That tournament and India series which came before was the 35-year-old's return from an elbow injury which sidelined him for many months.
"It was a frustrating summer," Wood stated. "I was unable to participate in any cricket and my knee sometimes, when you think that you're just about ready, it was not just quite there."
"I faced setbacks a couple of times, but in the tent [training camp] it's been going well. We've used the radar gun and the pace is getting up there."
The opener of the Ashes starts on 21 November at Perth, with England seeking victory in their first Test series in Australia in over a decade.
"With luck, I'll be performing well, bowling well during warm-up matches and in net sessions, and can put my hand up for that game [Ashes opener]," Wood continued, whose last Test outing was against Sri Lanka over a year back.
"My recovery wasn't a smooth process, it had its ups and downs, but I'm in a good position now where i'm hoping to kick on for that game."
"I avoid making statements claiming, 'I'm fully ready, I'm set'. I'm in a confident place at the minute and feeling a lot more positive, so I'm cautiously hopeful."
Australia's Injury Worries
At the same time, worries for Australia regarding the health of players have led to player Cameron Green being replaced by Marnus Labuschagne for the ODI series with India, which starts on Sunday.
Australia already have concerns over the condition of captain Pat Cummins, who has not played since mid-year because of lumbar bone stress affecting his spine.
"Green is unavailable of the [India] series after suffering low-grade side soreness at training this week," the cricket board stated.
"He will undergo a short period of rehabilitation and is expected to be back for the third round of domestic cricket to continue his preparation for the Ashes."
The third round of the Sheffield Shield tournament begins on 28 October.
