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The English pace spearhead Mark Wood says he is "quietly confident" about his fitness for the opening match of the Ashes series in Australia.

Wood has not played since a Champions Trophy defeat against Afghanistan in February and underwent surgery for a knee issue in March.

The Champions Trophy and India series which came before marked his comeback from an elbow injury that had kept him out for many months.

"It was a frustrating summer," Wood explained. "I didn't get to play any cricket and my knee sometimes, when you think that you're just about ready, it wasn't fully recovered."

"I got knocked back a couple of times, but during the training camp it's been going well. We've used the radar gun and my speed is increasing."

The first match of the series starts on 21 November at Perth, with England seeking victory in their initial series win in Australia in over a decade.

"With luck, I'll be performing well, delivering effectively in the practice games and in the nets, and can make my case for that game [Ashes opener]," Wood continued, who last played a Test was against Sri Lanka 14 months ago.

"The rehab hasn't just been a smooth process, it's been a bit up and down, but now I'm in a better place where i'm hoping to kick on toward the match."

"I avoid making statements where I say, 'I'm fully ready, I'm set'. I'm in a confident place at the minute and feeling a lot more positive, so I'm quietly confident."

Australian Fitness Concerns

At the same time, worries for Australia over the fitness of players have led to player Cameron Green being replaced by Marnus Labuschagne for the ODI series against India, beginning this weekend.

The Aussies also have concerns over the condition of skipper Pat Cummins, who's been absent since July because of lumbar bone stress affecting his spine.

"Cameron Green has been ruled out for the India series after suffering low-grade side soreness during recent practice," Cricket Australia said.

"Green will complete a short period of rehabilitation and is expected to be back for the third round of the Sheffield Shield to continue his preparation for the series."

The third round of Australia's domestic Sheffield Shield competition is scheduled to start October 28th.