Big boost for England as star pacer returns to bowling after recent injury scare, likely to play Ashes opener

England pacer Mark Wood returned to bowling in the nets ahead of the Ashes opener against Australia that is set to commence from November 21. He bowled a 40-minute spell at the Optus stadium in Perth where the first match of the series will be held. The 35-year-old had recently been taken off the field during England's warm-up match against the England Lions due to a hamstring issue.

Wood plays down injury concerns

This led to many suspecting that Wood would be absent from England's playing XI for the Ashes opener. However, the seamer put all the injury concerns to bed with his high-intense bowling during the training session on Tuesday.

"He was absolutely rapid today, I can tell you that firsthand. He's definitely one to avoid on the list. He's near enough full tilt so it's good signs for us," England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith said after the session.

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With the pitch in Perth known to heavily favour the seamers, England are expected to go with an all pace attack and this will likely include Wood. The veteran p[acer has been out of action from the longest format for quite some time now with his last appearance coming in August, 2024 in a match against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.

Wood's long absence from internationals

He had been on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury that even saw him undergo a surgery in order to fully heal it. This saw him miss out not only on assignments in 2024, but also in 2025. His last appearance at the international stage came during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy clash against Afghanistan that took place in February. It remains to be seen if he will be able to make his much-awaited return to international cricket with The Ashes opener.

Australia's squad for The Ashes: Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.

England's squad for The Ashes: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.