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England's pace spearhead Mark Wood has stated he feels "quietly confident" about his fitness for the opening match of cricket's greatest rivalry down under.

Wood has not played following a Champions Trophy loss against Afghanistan last winter and had an operation for a knee issue this spring.

The Champions Trophy and tour of India which came before was the 35-year-old's return from an elbow injury which sidelined him for many months.

"The summer was disappointing," Wood stated. "I didn't get to play any matches and my knee sometimes, when it seemed that you're just about ready, it was not just quite there."

"I faced setbacks on several occasions, but during the training camp it's been going well. We've used the radar gun and my speed is increasing."

The opener of the Ashes starts on 21 November in Perth, with England aiming to win their first Test series in Australia since 2010-2011.

"With luck, I'll be performing well, bowling well during warm-up matches and in net sessions, and can make my case for that game [Ashes opener]," added Wood, who last played a Test was against Sri Lanka 14 months ago.

"My recovery wasn't a straight curve, 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 claiming, '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 Injury Worries

At the same time, worries for Australia regarding the health of players have led to all-rounder Cameron Green making way for Marnus Labuschagne for the ODI series with India, beginning this weekend.

The Aussies also have concerns over the condition of captain Pat Cummins, who has not played since July because of lumbar bone stress in his back.

"Cameron Green has been ruled out of the [India] series after suffering mild side discomfort at training this week," Cricket Australia said.

"He will undergo a short period of rehabilitation and is tracking to return to play in round three of domestic cricket to further prepare for the series."

Round three of the Sheffield Shield tournament is scheduled to start on 28 October.