England's chances of retaining the Ashes have taken a significant boost with the news that Mark Wood and Josh Hazlewood, two key Australian players, are out of the first Test.
Hazlewood, who was expected to bowl at Optus Stadium, has been ruled out due to a dodgy hamstring injury. His absence is a major blow to Australia's attack, which already lacks two other top pacers in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
Wood, on the other hand, had been cleared of a hamstring injury earlier in the day. He was a doubt for the first Test due to his injury history but now looks set to play a key role for England at Lilac Hill.
England's chances of winning the Ashes have significantly improved with this development. Australia has not won a home series without both Cummins and Hazlewood since 2010-11, and their current team lacks depth.
With the Australian team looking fragile, England can now focus on retaining the Ashes at home. This is a great opportunity for Ben Stokes' side to make a strong statement in the series.
The second Test, which will be played under floodlights, could also go either way but with Australia's lack of experience against night cricket and Josh Hazlewood missing England may have an advantage over them.
Overall, Mark Wood's inclusion and Josh Hazlewood's absence look like two major blows for Australia, so it would seem that England has got the better end of a bad hand in this Ashes series.
Hazlewood, who was expected to bowl at Optus Stadium, has been ruled out due to a dodgy hamstring injury. His absence is a major blow to Australia's attack, which already lacks two other top pacers in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
Wood, on the other hand, had been cleared of a hamstring injury earlier in the day. He was a doubt for the first Test due to his injury history but now looks set to play a key role for England at Lilac Hill.
England's chances of winning the Ashes have significantly improved with this development. Australia has not won a home series without both Cummins and Hazlewood since 2010-11, and their current team lacks depth.
With the Australian team looking fragile, England can now focus on retaining the Ashes at home. This is a great opportunity for Ben Stokes' side to make a strong statement in the series.
The second Test, which will be played under floodlights, could also go either way but with Australia's lack of experience against night cricket and Josh Hazlewood missing England may have an advantage over them.
Overall, Mark Wood's inclusion and Josh Hazlewood's absence look like two major blows for Australia, so it would seem that England has got the better end of a bad hand in this Ashes series.
england finally got some good news about the ashes! mark wood is back and he's gonna play a huge role in this series. australia's attack is looking super weak without cummins, hazlewood, and now hazlewood's out too 
ben stokes' side can totally capitalize on this and take the ashes home. i'm not surprised england is feeling confident about it 
lilac hill better watch out for them!
Australia's squad just keeps getting thinner 
. Losing 2 top pacers already is huge blow but now with another one out they're basically fielding a bunch of kids 
️. England's gotta take advantage of that & give it their all 
. It'll be interesting to see how this series unfolds, especially the second test under floodlights 
. Can't wait to watch Ben Stokes lead his team to victory 
!! with wood back on board they've got some serious firepower and australia is just really weak atm 
no cummins no hazlewood it's like they're playing with one hand tied behind their back 
And Mark Wood's back on the scene? That's like a dream come true for England fans! 
It's gonna be super tough for Australia to keep up with England's speed and aggression, especially under floodlights where their lack of experience could really hurt 'em. 
Can't wait to see how it all plays out!
Meanwhile, England is gettin' all the breaks and it's lookin' like a great opportunity for 'em to make some magic happen. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed for Ben Stokes and the boys! 
...it's like Australia's lost two of their top guns 
...and let's be real, they've got some young guys trying to step up which just doesn't seem as solid. For England this is a golden opportunity to grab the Ashes at home and show everyone what they're made of 
. And let's not forget that Wood was having some doubts due to his injury history, so for him to clear it now is a great sign 
. The second Test under floodlights could be a real game-changer 
️. And with Australia's lack of experience against night cricket, I think England might have an edge 
.
. They still have some talented players on their team, and they can definitely mount a comeback 
. Still, this does look like a tough ask for them 
.
Simple, but effective! 
. And let's be real, their attack just isn't the same without Pat Cummins either 
. So yeah, I think England's chances just went through the roof 
. The second Test under floodlights could go either way, but England might have a slight edge without Josh Hazlewood to adapt to night cricket 
.
it was literally the most adorable thing i've seen all day and it totally made me forget about cricket for a sec lol anyway back to ashess but seriously have you ever tried making your own pizza from scratch? 
i tried it over the weekend and it was super fun and delicious!
. The floodlights at the second test are gonna be an interesting factor too - will it help or hinder their chances? 
. I'm not saying it's gonna be an easy win, but with the floodlights on in the second Test, it might give them an edge 
. Bring it on! 
! But seriously, with two of their top pacers out, they're basically playing with one arm tied behind their back. I'm not saying England is gonna win or anything (although, let's be real, it'd be a great story