• Mark Wood ripped apart the Australian batting lineup on his return to the England team.

  • The speedster finished with figures of 5/34 as Australia were bundled out for 263 in their first innings.

Ashes 2023 [WATCH]: Mark Wood’s spectacular five-wicket haul on his England return against Australia
Mark Wood takes a fifer (Image Source: Twitter)

Mark Wood‘s return to red-ball cricket in the third Ashes 2023 Test at Headingley was nothing short of impressive. After being included in the playing XI alongside Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali, Wood showcased his express pace and ability to trouble the Australian batters.

Following England’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss, Stuart Broad struck early to dismiss David Warner, marking the 16th time he has dismissed Warner in Tests. Wood was then brought into the attack in the sixth over, and he immediately made an impact with a scorching 91 mph outswinger.

Wood’s pace and aggression continued to trouble the batting pair of Usman Khawaja (13) and Marnus Labuschagne (21). He bowled with great control and generated impressive speed throughout his spell. In his first over, The Durham-pacer hit the 95 mph mark on the speed gun, adding to the excitement among the crowd at Headingley.

 

The speedster further raised the excitement levels in his second over when he clocked 96.5 mph on the speed gun with one of the delivery to Labuschagne, receiving applause from the crowd. It was a testament to his sheer pace and skill as a fast bowler.

Wood’s efforts paid off in his fourth over when he bowled Khawaja with a stunning delivery that reached 94.5 mph.

 

Wood’s fiery pace also had a significant impact on the dismissal of Alex Carey (8). After being hit on the head by a bouncer from the 33-year-old in the previous delivery, Carey was unsettled and looked to play an attacking shot on the next ball. However, he only managed to edge the ball, and it was caught by a fielder at cover, resulting in his dismissal.

Wood’s relentless bowling continued to trouble the Australian batters. He went on to dismiss Pat Cummins (0), pinning him lbw, and then bowled Mitchell Starc (2) with a bail-trimmer that hit the top of the stumps and dislodged the bails.

 

Wood’s final wicket came when he castled debutant Todd Murphy, who inside-edged the ball onto his stumps. Wood’s figures at the end of the day stood at an impressive 5/34.

 

Although England had a few missed opportunities in the field, with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root dropping catches, Wood’s outstanding bowling overshadowed those lapses and helped the hosts to restrict the Aussies to 263. The Ashington-born’s average pace for the innings was recorded at 90.5mph, making him one of the quickest bowlers seen in England since the legendary Brett Lee in 2005.

In response, England faced early setbacks as they lost wickets in quick succession. Cummins played a crucial role by dismissing Ben Duckett (2) and Harry Brook (3) within the first seven overs. Mitchell Marsh, the lone centurion of the Australian innings, took the important wicket of Zak Crawley (33), who had scored 33 runs.

As a result of these early wickets, England’s first innings was limited to 68 runs for the loss of three wickets by the end of Day 1.

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