Mark Wood desperate to lay down Ashes marker when England take on Australia

Mark Wood is desperate to make up for a frustrating Test summer by laying down an Ashes marker as England take on Australia in this month’s white-ball series.

The Durham quick featured in just one of England’s six Tests against West Indies and Pakistan but is back in the limited-overs squad ahead of Friday’s first T20 at the Ageas Bowl.

Though the format may be different, Wood is still hoping that his pace can make a lasting impression ahead of England’s attempt to win back the Urn Down Under next winter, in much the same way that Mitchell Johnson rattled English batsmen in an ODI series before his hostility inspired a 5-0 Ashes whitewash across 2013 and 2014.

"Everyone still talks about how rapid [Johnson] was bowling in the one-day series and then you carry that over to the Test matches," Wood said.

"Obviously it's a very different format, it's a very different game. But, like it was talked about with the [Stuart] Broad and [David] Warner situation [in last year’s Ashes] where he had the wood over him, if you can start the ball rolling with a couple of players here, I'm sure they'll be thinking about that no matter what the format.”

Last summer saw the rivalry at its most intense, with the 2-2 series draw that saw Australia retain the Urn coming after England had triumphed in a World Cup semi-final meeting. There may be no Urn or global trophy on the line this time, but Wood is expecting the intensity to be almost as high.

"It's always good when you play for England, don't get me wrong, but there's an extra incentive when you play Australia - your biggest rivals,” he added.

"They're desperate to beat you, you're desperate to beat them. It doesn't matter if its Ashes, white-ball, T20, we'll be desperate to beat them.”