Marcus Trescothick, England’s assistant coach, has dismissed fitness worries over Mark Wood ahead of Day 5 of the final Ashes Test at the Oval in London. Trescothick clarified that the decision to bring the fast bowler into the attack relatively late on a rain-truncated Day 4 was a tactical one.
Wood was used for just three of the 38 overs bowled by England and he conceded 16 runs. Australia reached 135 without loss chasing 384 to win. He had taken two wickets in the first innings. In the previous two Tests he played this series, Woods claimed 11 wickets with a best of five for 34. England won one of those matches and were in a position to win the next before rain denied them a chance to take the last five Australian wickets on the final day.
“I think pretty much like everybody, there are little aches and pains that are going off the back of a big five-Test series. Both teams will be travelling in the same way at the moment. But yeah, everyone is fit to bowl. It was a tactical decision,” said Trescothick after the fourth day’s play.
All eyes will be on the sky because just 39.5 overs could be bowled on Day 4. After being set a challenging target, Australia made a good start thanks to David Warner (58 batting) and Usman Khawaja (69 batting). Australia, who are leading the series 2-1 and will retain the Ashes, require 249 on Day 5 to achieve the highest successful Test run-chase at this grand old venue.