The Ashes 2025: England’s Mark Wood would drive to second Test in Brisbane

Fast bowler Mark Wood has said if he would drive to England’s next Ashes Test in Brisbane if he could, “just to keep my mind going” after his side’s two-day opening defeat in Perth.

Speaking on the For Love of Cricket podcast, the 35-year-old seamer said he’d embark on the 2,832 mile journey as the England squad seek to mentally recover from their eight-wicket thrashing in Western Australia.

“It’s going to hurt and it should hurt for a few days,” Wood told former team-mate Stuart Broad.

“Ultimately we have to stick together because there’s the end goal, it’s not just this one game.

“We’re stuck here, it’s not like we can just get up and leave for Brisbane. If I could drive across the country I probably would, just to keep my mind going.”

England face an 11-day gap between matches after the first Test finished prematurely on Saturday.

A two-day pink-ball fixture is scheduled for the weekend against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, but none of the players who appeared in Perth are expected to feature, with the line-up mostly taken from the England Lions squad.

England’s all-seam attack had to return to the field on Saturday after they were bowled out inside 35 overs in their second innings, but Wood said the swift turnaround was not a factor in the home side’s quick chase.

“I would say it’s more emotional, I wouldn’t say it was physically that difficult this game,” said Wood.

“It was just the emotion, first days of the Ashes, they’re always more draining than any other day.

“When we were back out on the field I think because the game had gone through such a quick period of bowl-bat-bowl, you’re never actually switching off.”

Wood, who was playing in his first game since February after knee surgery, went wicketless in the series opener.

He bowled economically in the first innings, conceding just 21 runs from his eight overs, and only delivered 18 balls in the second as Australia raced to victory.

The tourists now travel to Queensland’s capital hoping to avoid losing their first two Tests for the fourth Ashes tour in a row, and Wood backed England’s attack to strike blows against the Australian batters.

“Australia will have confidence from that win. I know it’s only one guy who’s played particularly well, but as a group that will give them a lift,” added Wood.

“Their batters will be more confident – can one of them play an innings like that? So it’s up to us to fight fire with fire, come back in and try to knock them over again.”