Mark Wood breathed fire into England’s dampened Ashes 2023 campaign with a spell of searing pace in the third Test match, at Headingley.

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England came to Headingley two-down in the five-match series. They had to win all three Test matches to prevent Australia from stretching their hold on the Ashes urn for beyond a decade.

Their one-dimensional pace attack – right-arm seamers, none of whom hit 85mph – had disappointed in Edgbaston. At Lord’s, Josh Tongue made an impact with extra pace. And Mark Wood, their fastest bowler, was finally available for the third Test match, at Headingley.

With the fourth ball of the match, Stuart Broad took out David Warner for the 16th time, a record in 21st-century Test cricket. He got a three-over spell before Wood replaced him, and immediately impressed with an over, the kind of which has not been seen in England since 2005.

Wood kept increasing his pace, hitting 94mph twice in his first over. At 96.5mph, the second ball of his second over was his fastest – the scoreboard display was greeted with an audible response – and it was flanked by 95mph balls on either side.

Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja were beaten multiple times. Bouncers flew around – and above – them. But they seemed set to see off Wood’s first spell, for a bowler that quick on a comeback trail from an injury was unlikely to bowl long spells.

The wicket came in the last ball of the fourth spell. Khawaja – who had batted for over 13 hours at Edgbaston and another six and a half at Lord’s – was undone by pace. He drove at a ball that moved back in to take his inside edge and crashed on to the stumps.

Ben Stokes took Wood off after a spell of 4-3-2-1, during which every single ball had been quicker than 90mph. At lunch, England were 91-4.

Wood got another over before lunch, where Travis Head played a ball, but Jonny Bairstow grassed the chance. While replays revealed an edge, the umpire awarded Australia byes. A review would have got England a fifth wicket.

The cricket fraternity went gaga over Wood’s scorching spell.

Wood went on to decimate Australia’s tai. He took out Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in the same over, before Alex Carey holed out to him one ball after being hit on the head by a 90mph bounder. The final wicket of the innings, Todd Murphy, gave Wood his fourth Test five-for for England. A searing spell of scorching pace.

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