England map out their path to an Ashes comeback as Mark Wood admits they were “hit hard in the first round.”

November 23, 2025

England map out their path to an Ashes comeback as Mark Wood admits they were “hit hard in the first round.”

Mark Wood has admitted he even thought about driving from Perth to Brisbane – a 2,500-mile (4,000 km) four-day haul – simply to fill the unexpected downtime created by England’s bruising start to their much-hyped Ashes campaign.

The fast bowler was part of a side left “shellshocked” by a dramatic batting collapse on day two at Perth Stadium, which opened the door for Australia to seize a 1–0 lead thanks to Travis Head’s explosive 69-ball century.

Wood, who dislikes flying, suddenly found himself with an 11-day stretch before the second day-night Test at the Gabba on 4 December after the match ended inside two days. He even checked how long a cross-country road trip would take before realising just how vast the distance really was.

“If I could drive across the country, I would,” the 35-year-old told former teammate Stuart Broad on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast. “I spoke to a local who said it’s dangerous going straight across, so you’d have to go the long way round the coast. But yeah, I looked into it.”

England have yet to confirm whether any of their main squad will head to Canberra for next weekend’s two-day pink-ball fixture against the Prime Minister’s XI. Wood, only recently back from knee surgery, will be protected, while batters have been given the choice to play.

The manner of the defeat – combined with its speed – has left many of the roughly 9,000 travelling England supporters furious, and has sparked plenty of mockery in the Australian press. Inside England’s dressing room, the mood was just as grim.

“When you walk back in, you don’t start analysing straight away,” Wood said. “‘Shellshocked’ is exactly it. Some lads sit down, others start packing up. I sat for five minutes. You look like you’re staring into space, but really you’re just thinking.

“When Ben Stokes comes back from media, we sit in a circle. But nothing you say makes it sound better. If you say we’re level, people complain. If you say we’re emotional, people ask why we aren’t level. What matters is we’re honest with each other — everyone talks openly.

“We know this is only one of five Tests. You reflect, but you also take the positives. We were hit hard in round one, but there are more rounds to hit back.”

Those positives mainly lie in day one. England’s pace attack dismissed Australia for 132 in 45.2 overs, with Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green all struck on the body or helmet during a fierce spell from England’s quickest bowling unit since ball-tracking began in 2006.

“I really believe this team has the ability to take 20 wickets — that’s what this lineup has been built for,” Wood said. “As a bowling group we can take a lot of confidence. And with a day-night Test in Brisbane, we know we can get the ball moving under lights at pace, which is tough to face.

“But Australia will be buoyed by that win. Their batters will feel better. It’s on us to match their intensity, fight fire with fire, and try to knock them over again.”

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