Wood ready to put body on the line

England fast bowler Mark Wood has said he does not want to be rested during the Investec Ashes despite concerns about how his body will cope with the demands of a five-Test series. Wood has made a good impression as England's third seamer in his four Test appearances but picked up 1 for 131 at Lord's amid worries that he struggles with back-to-back matches.

Wood has had to deal with side and ankle injuries in recent times and has rarely played consecutive first-class fixtures for Durham. He admitted his pace was down during the second Test against Australia and said that was "something I'm going to have to address" but, after a rest period back home in the North East, he was bullish about being involved at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, when there will again be a three-day turnaround.

The short turn around between Cardiff and Lord's clearly took its toll on Wood. His pace was considerably down in the second Test. Hopefully the extra rest before Edgbaston will help as he is crucial to the England bowling attack.

The concern prior to the start of the Ashes was how would Jimmy, Broad and Wood hold up to playing so many Test's this summer. Jimmy hasn't been at his best and Wood was noticeably less effective at Lord's.