He has been out of action since the Champions Trophy.
The Ashes 2025 is less than three months away and both rivals are giving their all in its preparation. England fast bowler Mark Wood is set to feature in the County Championship for Durham next month to get into the rhythm for the tour Down Under.
This will mark his return to competitive cricket, having been on the sidelines since the Champions Trophy due to a knee injury. Mark Wood had to undergo a surgery on his left knee in April.
He was earlier expected to make his return with the fifth Test against India. However, another setback meant that some fluid needed to be taken out of his knee and his return was delayed further. He was then expected to feature in the white-ball series against South Africa in September but was left out of it.
Durham, who are currently ninth in Division One, will play their last three games in September. They will face Essex (September 8), Worcestershire (September 15), and Yorkshire (September 24). Wood is unlikely to feature in the Essex game but should be in against Worcestershire. As for his availability for the Yorkshire fixture, it will depend on how his knee holds up.
“I’m hoping to play for Durham as there are a couple of games in September – so I’ll try and play one or two of those,” Wood told the Stick to Cricket podcast.
England are careful in managing his return to action as they did with Jofra Archer. Wood will have a key role to play when they tour Australia later this year. The team management has been looking after him well but it was Wood who pushed for some competitive action.
“But I said to Baz McCullum, I can’t just bowl to a net for four months, I’ll go insane. There’s a bowling camp in Loughborough in a tent – getting acclimatised there ready for Perth – then I’ll go over to Perth early with a couple of bowlers. We’ll arrive about a week early to prepare and get acclimatised,” he added.
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England haven’t had a great time in Australia on recent tours. They have lost 14 out of 15 matches on the last three ashes Down Under. They desperately want to change it and have higher hopes from the current team.
Head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have put a impetus on having bowlers with good pace. On Australian pitches, bowlers need to have pace to make an impact.
Wood and Archer will be the two most important players for England on the tour as both of them can bowl at rapid pace consistently. Apart from them, England will also have Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Gus Atkinson. The series scoreline could depend on how well their pace attack does.
