Former England captain Michael Vaughan looked worried after England bowled out Mark Wood in just 8 overs on the first day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka in Manchester.

Wood took the wicket of Kusal Mendis in the 8 overs he bowled and did so with real pace and fire. The delivery that dismissed Mendis took off his gloves and left him in an unplayable position.

Meanwhile, England are trying out several fast-paced players ahead of the Ashes series against Australia next year. The series against Sri Lanka will help the management identify who they can include for the powerhouse series. Jofra Archer bowled with real pace in The Hundred. Along with Wood, the two can become a lethal pairing for England against Australia.

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Michael Vaughan is not concerned about Mark Wood’s poor performance

“Did they under-bowl Mark Wood today? It’s possible, but I’m not worried about it now because there’s a bigger picture about Wood in terms of next year and what they’re trying to do. When you think about Jofra, who’s just played in The Hundred, he looked pretty good. You can see what England are trying to do,” Vaughan said in response to a question on the BBC’s Test Match Special.

He further said that England are keen to prepare a pace battery that can challenge the Australian batsmen. He said that for England to win in Australia, they need Archer, Wood, Gus Atkinson and Olly Stone, all fit for the Ashes series.

England have a clear plan for Ashes 2025: Michael Vaughan

“They have a clear plan to make sure that when they get to Australia in a year or so, they want to have these fast bowlers that they can rotate around – Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Olly Stone. Let’s be honest, for them to compete in Australia and win, they have to get them all fit. So they need to be wrapped in some cotton wool before that. I think they’re doing the right thing,” the former England captain added.

England’s bowlers put in a good performance against Sri Lanka, who were bowled out for 236. Chris Woakes took three wickets, Gus Atkinson two, Mark Wood one and Shoaib Bashir three. It was a cumulative performance from England’s bowlers in the absence of someone like Archer.

Meanwhile, Russel Arnold, former Sri Lankan cricketer who is part of the commentary team, also shared his thoughts on Wood. He said that when Wood bowls, things seem to happen for England.

“I love watching him play. Whenever he comes out to bowl, there’s a rush and suddenly things seem to happen quicker – batsmen are jumping around. The best place to watch Mark Wood is from the spot closest to the wicket,” Arnold said.

He agreed with Vaughan’s perspective and suggested using Wood in short bursts to maximise his effectiveness. Wood came into the attack in the 14th over and dismissed Kusal Mendis in the 16th over. He then bowled a spell of four overs from the 38th over but did not get the ball thereafter.

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