England fast bowler Mark Wood is hopeful to play a pivotal role in The Ashes in Australia even after missing an all-important chance — to find his name in the Ashes 16-member squad-led by Joe Root in October, this year.
However, Wood revealed he has regained his 80 percent of his fitness and is expecting to come good if he gets any outside chance to bowl in the ongoing Ashes which eventually kicked off on November 23 at Gabba in Brisbane.
Before delivering for the national side with the red-ball game, Wood set his aim high to make his game more interesting owing to the pace.
“I’d say I’m bowling at about 80 percent at the moment. My action feels good, but I’ve got no overs under my belt. Hopefully, I can play some part in the series,” Wood was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
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The 27-year-old right-arm fast bowler Wood last played his Test match in July early this year against South Africa in Nottingham, before heel injury left him out of the competition.
Moreover, straightforward in his response, Wood felt he has to give his best after failing to leave an early impact in particular as the fast bowler in the Test format.
“There’s been the odd glimpse in my England career so far, but I’ve never lived up to my own expectations or probably other people’s,” Wood added.
Ahead of the three-day fixture between hosts Queensland XI and England Lions, Wood, who’s a part of the squad, was overlook owing to the fitness issue when the senior team was announced by England Cricket and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in October.
As England would like to retain the Ashes, Wood expected he would be ready to give his best shot if he would be called in – to deliver with the red-ball bowl on the different surfaces which has been offering pace and bounce.
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As Wood has set a primary focus to gain the complete fitness, he has had already a conversation with the Director of Cricket for Cricket ECB Andrew Strauss alongside Three Lions Head Coach Trevor Bayliss and the chairman of selectors after nursing the injury.
“I had meetings with Andrew Strauss, Trevor Bayliss and James Whitaker at the end of the season,” Wood asserted.
Interestingly, Wood remarked the Test cricket is the best format for him which further saw him bowling in the nets when England’s batsmen faced him before the opener kicked off on Thursday.
“I’ll never go the white-ball route,” he added. “Test cricket is the ultimate for me and pace with skill is killer,” Wood added.
Wood, who was marred by injury, reiterated he is confident to make a strong comeback in the five-day format while expressing his satisfaction with his improvement.
“I have a lot of self-belief and I think that if I can get back to a position where I’m in a good place physically I can show how good I can be,” Wood further added.
Wood remarked if he can crank up the pace it might yield desired results while reflecting on the first Test build-up by saying it was hard to stay out of the competition after facing the physical challenges from time-to-time.
In the domestic set-up, Wood represented Durham which further saw the fast bowler flying to Australia for Lion’s squad.
“They said that if I got my body right I’d be in a position to have an impact in the series. I’ve got a chance but you have to wait for injuries,” Wood concluded.
Wood, who played 10 Tests for England since his debut in May 2015, bagged 26 wickets at an average of 40.65.
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In the limited-overs cricket, Wood played 19 One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals.