Mark Wood eyes Durham return ahead of Ashes

KARACHI: England’s right-arm speedster Mark Wood has expressed his hope of turning up for Durham in the ongoing County Championship as part of a build-up to the highly anticipated Ashes, scheduled to be played later this year in Australia.

Wood has been out of action for more than six months after undergoing surgery on his left knee to repair medial ligament damage, which worsened during the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.

The 35-year-old was believed to attain complete fitness for the fifth Test of the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India and was thus accompanying the England squad.

However, his return was delayed due to a minor setback suffered during his training at The Lord’s ahead of the third Test, which required fluid to be drained out of his knee.

Mark Wood has now become completely fit and revealed he was planning to represent Durham in the ongoing County Championship to push his case for the Ashes selection.

"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 said during a podcast.

"The injury is alright. It was fifty-fifty whether I was going to make the India Test but I was bowling at Lord's and then, the next day, my knee swelled up again so I had it drained and since then it's just been about taking things easy looking ahead to the winter," he added.

Wood, who played a pivotal role in helping England draw the Ashes 2023 by taking 14 wickets in three matches, further shared that he has informed head coach Brendon McCullum of his plans for the blockbuster series, saying he will ‘go insane’.

"I've been well looked after and very cautious, that's the way that it's been. I value it as they've (the ECB) got this end-game where they want me to get to Australia," Wood continued.

"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."

It is pertinent to mention that the blockbuster Ashes will get underway in Perth on November 21, followed by a day-night Test in Brisbane.

The third Test is scheduled to be played in Adelaide, while the remaining two fixtures will be hosted by Melbourne and Sydney, respectively.