England to embrace all-out pace in Ashes opener as Mark Wood cleared for action

England stand ready to embrace all-out pace in Friday’s Ashes opener in Perth after Mark Wood was cleared for action.

Wood has been named in a 12-man squad for the series opener and is the fastest among a five-strong arsenal of seamers which also includes Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and captain Ben Stokes.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir has been included as insurance against a late change in conditions but all signs point towards England channelling their need for speed.

Wood has endured elbow and knee surgery since his last Test appearance in August 2024, as well as a minor hamstring scare during last week’s warm-up match, but is seen as a gamble worth taking.

He boasts an excellent record against Australia – lowering his career average from 30.42 to 27.48 against the old enemy – and rattled them by searing speeds of more than 97mph in the 2023 series.

He had a brief workout in the nets on Wednesday, bowling a couple of overs before fielding practice and later had a long look at the pitch.

While the enticing prospect of pairing the 35-year-old with Archer for just the second time in Tests has garnered plenty of attention, Atkinson has attracted relatively-little scrutiny as he prepares for his first taste of Ashes cricket.

And the softly-spoken Surrey bowler is more than happy to fly under the radar.

Atkinson, who has taken 63 wickets at 22.07 in 13 appearances – including a hat-trick against New Zealand last winter and eight in his most recent outing against India – is content to stay out of the firing line.

“I’m not sure it’s a mistake…it’s been like that a bit so far in my career, in the background and I don’t mind that at all,” he said.

“Jofra and Woody are amazing bowlers and they’ll be huge for us this series.

“You hear about it (Tests in Australia) in the past and it’s all ‘pace, pace, pace’ but we’re hearing lately a bit more seam movement. For me personally, it’s nice to hear that. That’s something I’m looking forward to.”

Asked if the trip represented the biggest challenge he has yet experienced in the international game, Atkinson did not hesitate.

“Yes, 100 per cent,” he said.

“It feels like we’ve been building up to this series for a while, since I’ve been in the team, so this will be a huge test for all of us.

“I’m really excited. The build-up has obviously been big but it’s the Ashes: it’s huge. Growing up you’re always watching it, so to be here in Australia is a bit surreal.”

England are optimistic of ending a dire sequence of results Down Under, having failed to win a single match on their past three tours.

But Atkinson is one of 11 in the 16-man squad who are first-timers, with no bad memories to weigh them down.

“I think there’s a few of us who haven’t played Test matches in Australia so there are no scars for me,” he said.

“We’ve obviously got players who have played a lot, like Rooty and Stokesy and we can speak to them, but I do think it’s a good thing that a few of us are coming in with not too much experience here.”

England squad: Z Crawley, B Duckett, O Pope, J Root, H Brook, B Stokes (c), J Smith (wkt), B Carse, G Atkinson, J Archer, M Wood, S Bashir.