Mark Wood Says England’s Perth Ashes Collapse Was a Missed Opportunity

England fast bowler Mark Wood has described the first-Test defeat in Perth as a major missed opportunity in a wide-ranging assessment of the team’s unsuccessful Ashes campaign. Speaking to Test Match Special, Wood said he viewed his own role and England’s failure to close out the match with regret, BBC Sport reported.

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England had led by 105 runs with nine second-innings wickets remaining on the second afternoon, but lost nine wickets for 99 runs. Australia were then set 205 and reached the target in 28.2 overs, driven by Travis Head’s 123. Wood said the course of the tour might have changed had England converted their advantage in the opening Test.

Wood also acknowledged that his preparation had left him short of full readiness. The Perth match was his first Test in 16 months after elbow and knee problems. His only cricket before the series was a warm-up against England Lions, where hamstring tightness limited him to eight overs. The same knee issue then ruled him out of the rest of the tour, and BBC Sport said he has not played since.

The 36-year-old also addressed the scrutiny England faced in Australia. He recalled players being followed away from grounds and said the attention contributed to a more pressured environment than the team usually experienced. However, he did not present that as an explanation for the results, instead identifying England’s poor cricket as the central problem.

Wood discussed criticism of the squad’s mid-tour stay in Noosa and the amount of golf played during the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum era. Wood, who does not drink alcohol or play golf, said he would have made different personal choices in some situations. He also recognised that golf gave teammates time together away from the mental demands of touring, while accepting that the public perception could be damaging.

His comments come after Stokes retired from international cricket in June and McCullum was subsequently removed as Test coach. Wood’s account places the Perth collapse, his limited physical preparation and the pressure surrounding the squad at the centre of his review. BBC Sport’s report did not give a timetable for his return to competitive cricket.