Wood confident on fitness, looms as England's ace

England speedster Mark Wood is confident he will be able to unleash his raw pace on Australia for the final two Ashes Tests, unfazed by concerns around his workload.

Wood made an immediate impact for England in his first Test in seven months, reaching speeds of up to 155kph in his opening spell.

In doing so, he provided England with the pace they so desperately missed in the first two Tests, taking 5-34 in the first innings of the win to reduce the hosts' series deficit to 2-1.

But Wood is yet to prove he can be a consistent selection for England.

He has managed 29 Tests since his debut in 2015, and was held back from the second Test of this Ashes series with fitness concerns.

While there is a 10-day gap before the start of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, only three days separate that match and the series finale at The Oval.

Regardless, Wood was confident he could play in both matches.

"I did four in Australia last time and three of them were in a row," Wood said. "It's a big ask, but one I've done before and I will lean on that experience to try to do it again.

"I will speak to the physio, but I imagine I will bowl once or twice, do a couple of gym sessions, maybe some running, but it won't be too drastic. I have to let the body recover.

"This was my first game in a very, very long time, especially in Test cricket. 

"I will let the body recover, get myself in a good space, let the wounds recover and get myself up for the next one."

Wood labelled England's three-wicket victory as one of the highlights of his career, after swinging the match with bat and ball.

After his first-innings five-wicket haul, Wood hit 24 runs off eight balls to shift the momentum of the match after lunch on day two.

He then came to the crease with 21 runs still required and three wickets in hand in the fourth innings, before hooking Pat Cummins for six and seeing England home.

"It fills me with great pride to say I can do well against Australia. It's challenging because they are a top, top side," Wood said.

"It's one of the best feelings I've had. Look at facing Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. One, it's not easy. Two, it's really intimidating.

"They're bowling fast, they get good bounce and more often than not they come out on top. 

"Luckily this time it's the one-out-of-100 I've managed to get through."

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Australia won by two wickets

Second Test: Australia won by 43 runs

Third Test: Thursday July 6-Monday July 10, Headingley

Fourth Test: Wednesday July 19-Sunday July 23, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood