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Fast bowler Mark Wood said he would drive to England’s next Ashes Test in Brisbane if he could, “just to keep me sane” after his side’s two-day opening defeat in Perth.
Speaking on the For Love of Cricket podcast, the 35-year-old seamer said he will embark on the 2,832-mile journey as the England team seeks to mentally recover from their eight-wicket thrashing in Western Australia.
“It’s going to be painful and he’s going to have to be sore for a few days,” Wood told former teammate Stuart Broad.
He added: “In the end we have to stay together because there is the ultimate goal, and it is not just one match.
“We’re stuck here, it’s not like we can just get up and leave for Brisbane. If I could drive cross-country I probably would, just to keep my sanity.”
England face an 11-day gap between matches after the first Test ended prematurely on Saturday.
A two-day pink ball match is scheduled for the weekend against the Premier’s squad in Canberra, but none of the players who featured in Perth are expected to feature, as the squad is mostly from the England Lions.
England’s all-round attack had to return to the field on Saturday after they were bowled out inside 35 overs in the second over, but Wood said the quick turnaround was not a factor in the hosts’ fast-paced chase.
“I would say it’s more emotional, I wouldn’t say this match was physically tough,” Wood said.
“It was just feelings, the first days of the Ashes, they are always more draining than any other day.
“When we got back on the field, I think the game went through a bit of an ups and downs, it never stops going.”
Wood, who was pitching in his first game since February after knee surgery, pitched in the series opener.
He bowled economically in the first innings, conceding just 21 deliveries from eight overs, and delivered only 18 balls in the second innings as Australia raced to victory.
The tourists now travel to the Queensland capital hoping to avoid losing their first two Tests in a fourth successive Ashes tour, and Wood has backed England’s attack to strike against the Australian batsmen.
Wood added: “Australia will gain confidence after this win. I know there was only one player who played well, but as a group it will give them a boost.”
“Their batsmen will be more confident – can one of them play an innings like that? So it’s up to us to fight fire with fire, come back and try to hit them again.”
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