London, Nov 24: England fast bowler Mark Wood insists his side can mount a strong response in the upcoming day-night Test at Brisbane, despite suffering a bruising defeat in the Ashes opener at Perth.
England briefly held the upper hand in the first Test, with their pacers rattling Australia early, before Travis Head’s blistering 123 off 83 balls turned the game on its head and powered the hosts to an eight-wicket win inside two days.
Speaking on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast with former England pacer Stuart Broad, Wood acknowledged Australia’s surge in confidence but stressed that England must counter with equal intensity.
“Australia will take a lot from that win,” Wood said. “Even if it was one guy who did the damage, that lifts the whole group. It’s up to us to fight fire with fire and try to knock them over again.”England were demolished by Mitchell Starc’s searing pace on the opening day in Perth, bowled out for 172. But their own quicks hit back emphatically, with captain Ben Stokes leading from the front with a five-wicket haul to secure a 40-run first-innings lead.
That advantage evaporated quickly as Starc, Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett combined to send England tumbling in the second innings, setting Australia a modest target of 205. Head’s extraordinary assault ensured the chase was little more than a formality. (Agencies)
