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"Very hard to train at 100%": Mark Wood on road to redemption ahead of Ashes comeback

Akshita Patel

Mark Wood shares fitness update [Source: @englandcricket/X.com]Mark Wood shares fitness update [Source: @englandcricket/X.com]

England pacer Mark Wood is gearing up for a comeback, and this time, all eyes are on his fitness ahead of the Ashes 2025. The 35-year-old, who hasn’t played a Test match for 15 months, says he has pulled up really well from early training sessions in Perth.

Wood, England’s fastest bowler currently, last featured in competitive cricket during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, before undergoing knee surgery.

Mark Wood shares an update on fitness ahead of the Ashes opener

England landed in Australia on Sunday and have been training intensively for the series that begins on November 21. 

Meanwhile, Mark Wood’s goal is to prove his fitness in the warm-up match against England Lions in Perth next week and earn a spot in the playing XI for the opening Test. 

"I have trained for two or three days and pulled up really well. Going into the practice game, that will be another good test again but so far so good. It is very hard to train at 100% all of the time, but I have been off my full run-up and trying to up the intensity as I go along. I am hoping in the practice game I can up it a little more again and gradually get ready for that first game," Wood said as quoted by BBC.

He said the recovery has been a long and frustrating journey, but he is hoping to build up gradually and push more in the practice game.

 "[It was] really boring for six months and it was never a straight trajectory. There were some bits I was not doing as well and I had to build it up again. It is finally nice to be outside in some nice weather ramping it up," he added.

Mark Wood will be crucial for England’s Ashes campaign. He was the team’s leading wicket-taker during their last tour Down Under, claiming 17 wickets in four Tests. 

With captain Ben Stokes being the only other player in the squad who has Test experience in Australia, Wood’s role becomes even more vital.

Wood’s pre-Ashes comeback plan was scrapped

Interestingly, Mark Wood’s comeback hasn’t been smooth. Plans to play for Durham in the County Championship were scrapped.

And he skipped England’s white-ball matches against South Africa and New Zealand to focus entirely on the Ashes. 

Mark Wood eventually spent hours training in Loughborough’s indoor tent, designed to mimic Australian conditions, ensuring he’s ready for the hard pitches and long spells that await.