The Ashes: Mark Wood bowls against Perth to boost England’s hopes in the first Test

Wood, one of the fastest bowlers to play Test cricket for England, has a checkered injury history.

His last spell out of the Test team began 15 months ago due to an elbow problem. When the Durham player returned to white-ball cricket at the start of this year, he suffered a knee injury that required surgery.

While his inclusion would come with an element of risk, England would be keen to land him due to his pace, previous success against Australia and the importance of starting the series well.

If England field five seamers, Wood’s workload could be balanced by the other four. He may be difficult to play later in the series when a spinner is needed, meaning there are only three other bowlers to share the load.

Wood was listed as one of five seamers – including all-rounder Stokes – for England’s only friendly match against the England Lions at Lilac Hill last week.

He bowled eight overs in two overs of four on the first day – a workload that England said had been pre-planned – but left the field midway through the afternoon session.

He underwent a scan and was cleared on Saturday morning, but played no further part in the round-robin match.

Australia are set to be without skipper Pat Cummins and fellow bowler Josh Hazlewood for the series opener, with Brendan Doggett making his debut.

Cummins, who is recovering from a back injury, has been bowling against Perth as he heads towards a potential return in the second Test in Brisbane on December 4.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey has not ruled out Cummins pulling off an upset and playing the first Test, but it is understood the skipper will remain on the sidelines.

“For Pat it’s more about the workload and getting enough work into his legs and making sure he doesn’t have any more injuries from bowling,” Carey said.

“His rhythm seemed to be there. It’s great to see that, and for him and everyone in the group – he’s a great leader.

“He seems to be preparing really well. It would be great to see him back playing soon.”