Mark Wood

Durham and England’s Mark Wood joins on the phone having missed the entire home summer of 2025 through injury. The fast bowler was deemed too central to England’s Ashes hopes this winter, for any risks to be taken.

The 35-year-old from Ashington, Northumberland, underwent knee surgery in March and was initially targeting a return for the decisive fifth Test against India in late July. Despite bowling in the intervals during that series, his comeback was pushed back again – first to a possible County Championship outing for Durham, and now with the withers being lifted for the Ashes.

“That’s just how life goes,” the paceman reflects, speaking to Beyond the Boundaries en-route to Manchester Airport to join the squad during England’s white-ball tour of New Zealand.

“Rehab’s never a straight line, is it? You feel like you’re getting there, then it’s up and down. I thought I was pretty close, but with everything that was going on, we took a more cautious approach. A couple of little niggles kept popping up, so the sensible call was to hold off rather than rush it.”

Those who know Wood best – notably Stuart Broad on his ‘For the Love of Cricket’ podcast and Chris Woakes guesting on ‘Stick to Cricket’ – say the man in question doesn’t need a huge number of overs in his legs to be at full tilt. The stats back that up too. On his return to the side in 2024, Wood’s first over was the fastest by an Englishman since records began – a top speed of 97.1mph on day two of the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge saw him average 94.5mph across the set of six.

That ability to find top gear again became evident in 2023, when he and Woakes transformed England’s fortunes in the second half of the home Ashes.

“From 2-0 down, that finish with Chris coming back into the side sticks with me,” Wood recalls. “We talk about it now and, honestly, in 10 or 15 years’ time I think we’ll still talk about it. That was an incredible end to the series.

“Woakesy was fantastic; he’s one of those players who can come in and change a game in an instant. We had an impact together and we still laugh about it. I always say we won our series 2–0 – in our heads, we did anyway.”

Individually, that summer was among the best Wood has ever felt. His devastating 5-34 at Headingley was voted Wisden’s best men’s Test spell that year.

“Everyone’s heard it a million times before, but Baz (McCullum) and Ben (Stokes) give me so much confidence to steam in and do what I do best,” Wood continues. “The faith to do that is special. You go away from those moments wanting to repay that faith – and, above all else, hoping you can replicate it away from home.

Playing Australia is always a different test. Conditions – both on and off the field – are unique and, as a collective, they’re very hard to beat at home.

You want the respect of your teammates and the opposition – that’s what these contests are about. You want to be remembered for having contributed. Properly.

“I’ve been fortunate that my career’s almost felt like two separate callings. When I first started, I had a different run-up and action – I’ve changed a lot since then as a bowler. Sprinting in and hitting the crease is tough at the best of times, and it’s gutting how things have finished up for some lads, like Woakesy,” he adds, on the Warwickshire man’s recent retirement. “You miss them – it’s a real personal miss when a mate like him isn’t there, it’s huge.

“Who’s going to hold my hand on the aeroplane?” Wood jokes. “I’m a terrible flyer, I need someone to distract me. He’d be the one bringing the biscuits and watching TV with me in the evenings. He’s been super reliable, a proper team guy who quietly gets on with the job. He’s underrated as a player too because he doesn’t shout about himself; he just does his job brilliantly. I’ll miss Chris massively, but I’m sure we’ll keep in touch over the winter.”

Wood, yet to play a Test for England in 2025, remains full of energy – as ever. Seemingly unable to sit still, he’s been keeping busy.

“In the off-period I tried my hand at coaching, had a go on radio and TV, and spent some proper time with the family. Those are the things I’ll take out of it. But I’m still not giving up playing – not by a long way. I want to be out there. I can’t wait to get the ball back in my hand.

“Being around a young family, life’s been great,” he continues, referencing what is a considerable change of pace.

“I’ve enjoyed spending time at Durham too. Working with Neil Killeen and the backroom staff has been brilliant; they welcomed me straight away and made me feel part of the group.

Neil’s been fantastically inspiring as a coach, it’s that stuff that keeps you interested in the game while you’re off it.

“The media stuff was eye-opening,” he adds, referring to stints on Test Match Special and appearances for Sky Sports during the summer. “There’s a lot more to it than you think. It’s not just someone telling you what’s happened ball by ball – their analysis has real depth, and you quickly realise the commentators are proper pros. They’re passionate, they’re critical; they want England to win as much as anyone.

“I wouldn’t say I’m turning into a full-time broadcaster any time soon. But if I tried a ‘normal’ desk job I think it’d drive me crazy. I like having a bit of variety, but nothing beats being in the team. That’s the bit I’ve missed most.”

Rehab, for Wood, has meant plenty of miles up and down the M1 to Loughborough’s state-of-the-art indoor training centre.

“It’s a way to stay involved even when I’m not fully available,” he adds of that journey. “When I join back in with the squad proper, I’m confident I’ll slot straight back in and pick up where I left off.

“This will be my fifth Ashes series, if I’ve counted them right – 2015, 2017-18, 2021, the home Tests in 2023, and now this. That’s quite something when you say it out loud. There’s a bit of experience there, and that matters when you’ve got a group where people know their roles.”

England travel with one of the fastest groups of bowlers they’ve ever assembled. Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and Wood himself mark five bowlers all capable of hitting 90mph, plus the golden arm of captain Ben Stokes, who when fit is right up there with them.

“There’s real confidence in our attack,” says Wood. “And it feels like this is something we’ve all been working towards. Australia are a brilliant side and they don’t get beaten much at home, but I think this tour will be much tighter than it has been before. We’ve been to Australia and it’s gone one way, but this feels different. The way we’ve built, the way we want to play – it gives us belief that we can make it a real contest.

“When you look at what the coaches have done – building a squad of 17 or 18 core players where everyone knows their role – it reminds you of what Eoin Morgan did ahead of the 2019 World Cup. There’s a lesson there about experience and clarity. If someone’s rested for a certain pitch, everyone else believes they can do the job.

“If I’m in the side, I’ll be surrounded by lads who can bowl absolute rockets too. That’s exciting. We’ve seen what Australia do in their conditions and how well they bowl and bat, so the plan is simple: if our top seven can put runs on the board – and they’ve been reliable for a few years now – our bowlers can then really put their top order under pressure.

“Like Morgan, Stokes has that presence about him too,” Wood says of his fellow Durhamite. “He might come across as this big alpha – and he’s got that about him – but he’s so much more than that. As a captain he works meticulously hard behind closed doors, and we’ve all seen it on the field too. He’s very clear with his plans, he’s got a proper cricketing brain, and him and McCullum together are always plotting new ways to affect the game. Sometimes it’s something you don’t expect, but it’s always about getting an edge. Everyone wants to follow that – you can see it in their eyes.”

As England’s premier quick pulls into Manchester Airport, conversation turns to fond memories gone by. Reminded of an ‘invisible horse’ photo shoot – commissioned for the PCA nearly a decade ago – in Old Horses Yard, ‘Woody’ picks up the tale: “I’ve been watching Yellowstone recently, if we win here, the next photoshoot could be in Montana with the Ashes. Who knows?”

For now, England’s fast-bowling thoroughbred is back on the road – fit again, full of belief, and ready to climb back on the proverbial saddle for a spectacular series Down Under.