Wood eyes Durham return in Ashes push

Durham, 28 August 2025:

England fast bowler Mark Wood hopes to play for Durham next month as he bids to regain fitness in time for this winter’s Ashes series in Australia.

Wood, 35, has not played since knee surgery following an injury at the Champions Trophy in February. He had aimed to feature in the final Test against India earlier this month but suffered a setback and has been left out of September’s white-ball matches against South Africa and Ireland.

“It was 50-50 whether I was going to make the India Test,” Wood told the Stick to Cricket podcast. “I was bowling at Lord’s and then my knee swelled up again, so I had it drained. Since then it’s been about taking things steady, looking ahead to the winter.”

Durham have three County Championship fixtures left, and Wood said he could play one or two before joining an England training camp in Loughborough. He is also due to fly early to Perth with a small group of bowlers to acclimatise ahead of the series.

Wood remains central to England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes for the first time since 2015. He is their quickest option in an attack also featuring Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson. If Chris Woakes fails to prove his fitness, Wood may be the only seamer with prior Test experience in Australia, having taken 17 wickets on the 2021-22 tour.

The Ashes begins in Perth on 21 November.