THE opening morning of an Ashes series, and an Ashington-born fast bowler is hurtling towards the wicket ready to bowl. The sight has become a familiar one, but if it is repeated in Cardiff at the start of next month, the identity of the North-Easterner in question will be something of a surprise.

Mark Wood might not have achieved anything like the successes of Steve Harmison at this stage of his career, but with the original ‘Ashington Express’ having played his final Test almost six years ago, the 25-year-old finds himself increasingly touted as England’s next great fast bowling hope.

Tough, aggressive and capable of regularly hitting speeds in excess of 90mph, Wood is Harmison’s natural successor in more ways than one, with his emergence from the Durham academy and subsequent progression to the international arena mirroring that of his idol, who was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year after starring in England’s Ashes series victory in 2005.

Wood only made his One-Day International debut against Ireland in May, but with English cricket determined to wipe away the memory of a pitiful World Cup showing this winter, his exciting brand of bowling fits perfectly with the brave new era that has emerged in the one-day series with New Zealand that will conclude at Chester-le-Street later today.

England’s two electrifying successes over the Black Caps have set up a series decider, and while there will inevitably be changes in personnel once the Ashes begin in Cardiff on July 8, there will be a strong desire to carry over as much positive momentum as possible.

That could well mean Wood joining James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the five-day ranks for the opening Test of the Ashes, something that would have been almost impossible to foresee when he was battling to cement his place in the Durham team last summer.

“This time last year, I would never have thought it would be possible to be talking about possibly making an Ashes team,” said Wood, whose broad Geordie twang betrays an upbringing that saw him play for Ashington High School and represent Northumberland at Minor Counties level before making his first-class debut for Durham in 2011. “I don’t think anything anyone would have really.

“I was relatively unknown and hadn’t played many games, so the prospect of potentially playing in an Ashes series is massive. But it’s something I’m really excited about and I would hope to be in the side for that first Ashes game.

“Whether I make it or not, I don’t know, but I think I did okay in the Test series against New Zealand so I’d hope that I can hold my place. England have a lot of top quality bowlers, so I’m going to have to do well in the training camp and hopefully impress in the nets. Maybe I’ll have to charge in and bowl a few bouncers at Cooky (Alastair Cook), and that will persuade him to put me in the team.”

Before that, though, Wood will attempt to do himself justice as he becomes the latest name on an increasingly lengthy list of Durham players to have represented England on their home ground.

Paul Collingwood was the first, with Harmison quickly following him as he played in Test matches against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in 2003 and 2005.

Wood was at the second of those games, watching his fellow Ashington resident from a club box, and while he was only 15 at the time, he vividly remembers the excitement of the occasion. A decade on, and you sense he cannot quite believe he is about to replicate it.

“I’ve said before that playing at Lord’s was special, but this will be right up there as well because it’s my home ground and there’ll be a lot of familiar faces in the crowd,” he said. “I’ve been around this place for a while now, so it’s pretty good to be here in an England shirt. I’m looking forward to it, and I think most of Ashington is coming down to watch me.

“I remember sitting in one of the boxes when Harmy played here against Bangladesh. I actually spoke to Harmy last night about the experience of the whole thing, and he just said to go out and enjoy it.

“He said just to remember that the whole of the crowd is behind you. The support I’ve had from the North-East the whole time I’ve been playing for England has been fantastic, and the support I’ve had previously from the Durham supporters has always been good. They love their cricket up here and it’s nice to end this exciting series up here in the North-East.”

Whether Wood is quite so positive at the end of today’s game remains to be seen because while the Riverside might have a reputation for being something of a seamer’s paradise, recent one-day wickets have been every bit at batsmen-friendly as the four surfaces that have seen a raft of scoring records obliterated in the first four games of the series.

Having scored more than 400 for the first time in a One-Day International to win the opening match at Edgbaston, England’s batsmen created history again when they successfully chased down a total of 350 for the first time at Trent Bridge three days ago.

The current series is already the highest-scoring in English one-day history, but while spectators might be loving the new all-out attacking approach, things are rather different for the bowlers, who are having to get used to a mindset where the concession of eight runs an over is no longer a disgrace.

“It’s been a surprise how much it’s all changed,” said Wood. “It’s like a long version of the Twenty20 now. The batters come hard straight away, and there’s no looking to just knock it around.

“It’s that no fear element. If the batsmen think they can take you down, they’re going to try to do that, so my role as the attacking option is to fight fire with fire. If they’re going to come hard, I’m going to come hard as well as try to get them out. I quite enjoy that role.

“Is it fair? As a bowler, probably not. But the crowds are here for entertainment, and they want to see fours and sixes and hear the loud music. It’s a challenge for us as bowlers, but we have to be up for that and we’ll be up for it in this game because it’s effectively a final.”