For genuinely fast bowlers, the 90mph mark is rarely far from their thoughts, but Mark Wood has put a new twist on it as he begins an Ashes year refreshed after a four-month injury lay-off. While most of his rapid rivals hurtle to the crease with the desire to hit the speedgun milestone, Wood is determined never to dip under it during the remainder of what has been a stop-start career with England.
![[The England fast bowler has had a four-month lay-off but is targeting the winter's Ashes]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/00/93808685-14256213-image-m-108_1736210182587.jpg)
'Everybody sees 90mph as the target, but I don't want to drop below that now,' says a man who continues to top the world's speed charts despite turning 35 this week. 'My average pace is going up year on year, my control last summer was OK as well, so I just want to try to keep that high speed as much as I can, not at 90 but above it.
![[He has been an important cog of Ben Stokes' side and has been working hard to get fit again]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/00/93808351-14256213-image-a-94_1736209502228.jpg)
'That's the challenge. Two to three years ago, I didn't think I could get any quicker, but I'm giving it everything I've got these days. You can probably see that from the number of times I fall over.'. Indeed, during a scintillating spectacle against West Indies at Trent Bridge last July, Wood raised the bar for sustained pace by a bowler across a Test match in this country, averaging 91.2mph per delivery in the 241-run win. This was dramatically higher than his career mean of 87.4 and shattered the previous record on British soil of 90.59 by Australian Brett Lee in the iconic 2005 Ashes.
![[Gus Atkinson (left) and Brydon Carse (right) have led England's pace attack in Wood's absence]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/00/93808459-14256213-image-a-96_1736209717874.jpg)
