‘Australia are favourites, but…’: England pacer Mark Wood’s bold comment ahead of Ashes opener explains how they ‘copied’ the hosts | Cricket News

England fast bowler Mark Wood has sent a strong message ahead of the Ashes series in Australia, even as he acknowledged the challenge of facing the hosts on their own terms. Australia is set to host the opening Test in Perth from November 21, with captain Pat Cummins in a race against time to regain fitness after a back problem. Cummins was left out of the first Test but stepped up his bowling intensity in the nets, with an eye on a return for the second match. Wood said England was under no illusions about the difficulty of the task. “Australia are obviously the series favorites, but I think there is a quiet confidence within our group that we can do well here,” the coach said in a Sky Sports video.“The Australian team are very difficult to beat in their own conditions, they have shown that for many years,” added Wood. “We haven’t been able to win a lot of games here, so I think this first game is a huge game.” He added that early breakthroughs would be essential for England’s bowlers if they wanted to build pressure. “I wouldn’t say there’s any one batter in particular, but of course, as any bowling group knows, the first two wickets are vitally important. If we can get off to a good start we can try to put a bit of pressure on,” Wood said. The 35-year-old coach also spoke of the need to adapt quickly to local conditions, where pace and bounce are often deciding factors. “Wickets are tough, but it’s something I’m sure we’ll adapt to and the guys who have been here before can pass that knowledge on to the other guys,” he said. Wood praised Australia’s approach to fast bowling and admitted England had sought to learn from it. “From what we’ve done coming here, we’ve copied a bit of their model of guys playing fast. It’s been relentless and they’re top four in the world, in Australia,” he added.

Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood, who is approaching 300 Test wickets, says Australia’s experienced bowling group remains motivated despite age-related scrutiny. “There will definitely come a time (when the team is too old), but I don’t think that’s the case yet,” Hazlewood said. Both teams are expected to finalize their XIs ahead of the opening Test in Perth.