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England quick Wood back bowling after injury scare / Photo: COLIN MURTY - AFP
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England quick Wood back bowling after injury scare
Veteran pace ace Mark Wood unleashed a fiery spell in the nets Tuesday in encouraging signs for England after an injury scare during a pre-Ashes warm-up match last week.
The 35-year-old thundered down at what appeared to be top speed off his full run after a tentative start in the tourists' first training session at Perth Stadium ahead of the opening Test against Australia on Friday.
Wood sent shudders through the England camp last week when he complained of left hamstring stiffness and was sent for scans.
He came through the tests unscathed, but didn't bowl again in the three-day match against the second-tier England Lions.
It was his first game in almost nine months following knee surgery and he only got through eight overs.
"He was absolutely rapid today. I can tell you that first hand," wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who drew the short straw and faced him in the nets, told reporters.
"He was near enough full tilt, so it's good signs for us."
Whether the 37-Test veteran, who regularly clocks speeds of more than 150 kph (93 mph), plays the first Test remains to be seen.
Should he be fit, England could pair him with fellow speedsters Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson.
If they opt for an all-pace attack on what is tipped to be a lively track, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse are in line for the fourth spot with allrounder Ben Stokes chipping in overs.
Tongue said he believed Wood was capable of playing this week.
"If his body's all good and the management think he's good to go, I don't see why not," Tongue told reporters.
England, who last lifted the Ashes urn at home in 2015, have lost 13 of their last 15 Tests in Australia. The other two were drawn.
They have a golden opportunity to snap the winless streak in Perth with Australia pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood both out injured.
(W.Williams--TAG)
