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Australian great Merv Hughes says concerns over the full-series availability of England’s pace bowling spearheads Jofra Archer and Mark Wood could have a sizable impact on their Ashes hopes. With less than two weeks to go until one of the most-anticipated first Tests in recent history, the fitness of Archer and Wood and their lack of experience bowling in Australia has come under scrutiny. The pair, who have already arrived in Perth, will be the headline acts of England’s bowling attack against an Australian batting order which has more than a few question marks. But Wood is the only member of the England bowling line-up who has played Test cricket in Australia and injuries have had an impact on his career. The 35 year-old has not played five-day cricket since August 2024 against Sri Lanka and with a knee injury having cost him most of this year, Wood told reporters he would have to wait and see whether he would be available for all five Tests. Injuries have also scuppered the talismanic Archer’s career. He has missed the last two Ashes and none of the 30 year-old’s 15 Tests have come in Australia. Hughes — who took 75 of his 212 Test wickets against England — said he was doubtful over the double-act’s durability across five Tests. “It’s a wait and see isn’t it? Because it’s such a compact series, you would think it’d be unlikely,” Hughes told Code Sports. “And the thing that has got to be of concern to England is the amount of cricket that Wood and Archer have played in the last probably two years, and combine that with Australia’s wickets being a lot harder and a lot more rugged on the body. “So if they’re not match ready, and they try and get a bit out of them, it could be detrimental to those two.” Wood said on Friday his availability for all five Tests would be dictated by the conditions and how his body pulled up. “Last time we were here I was able to play four of five, which I was really delighted about. We’ve got a good depth in our bowlers, so we know if one misses out to be prepared for the next game,” he said. The inexperienced (Josh) Tongue or (Brydon) Carse and Gus Atkinson are the next men up should Archer and Wood miss time. Channel 7 commentator and English cricket personality David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd told The West Australian England needed to start both Wood and Archer in Perth on the fast, bouncy Optus Stadium wicket. “All the talk is that they will play together in Test one and then alternate from then on,” he said. “Both are a handful. In different ways. Wood is probably the quickest of the two but he’s quite small and skids on to you. “Whereas Archer gets in close to the umpire on delivery, he’s very tall, stands upright when he bowls and hits the pitch. “There’s no question that if there’s any sort of problem with either of them, they won’t play. “I can tell you that because they won’t put any of them in half-cooked. They’ll have to be absolutely bang on, and all the talk over here is they’re fine.”
