"I'm absolutely confident they will"- Mark Wood reacts to Josh Hazlewood's match fixing remarks

England pacer Mark Wood has expressed support for Australia ahead of the match between the Mitchell Marsh-led team and Scotland in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Mark Wood acknowledged Josh Hazlewood's comments that England is a big threat to Australia and other teams in the ICC tournament.

Josh Hazlewood sparked controversy by stating that Australia would benefit from England's early elimination from the T20 World Cup 2024. He made these comments in a press conference following Australia's victory over Namibia. England and Scotland are competing for second place in the Group B points table.

We're A Big Threat And A Big Team - Mark Wood

Speaking to reporters, Mark Wood emphasized that Josh Hazlewood recognized England as a strong and formidable team. Wood mentioned that England would back Australia in their match against Scotland to improve their prospects of progressing further in the tournament.

"I think actually I saw it more as a respect thing, if I'm honest, that he was saying that England have done well against Australia in the recent past and thinks we're a big threat and a big team, so I have no problem with it. I know I'm close to the Scottish border [coming from Durham] and Australia and Scotland are England's rivals… but we'll obviously be supporting Australia because we're trying to get through," Wood said.

The defending champions started their T20 World Cup campaign with a washout against Scotland. The Jos Buttler-led team then suffered a 36-run loss to the Australia team in their subsequent match. These results in the first two matches have affected the team's chances of reaching the Super 8 stage of the tournament.

However, the England team bounced back with an eight-wicket win against Oman. The England bowlers bundled out the opposition team for just 47 runs. They chased down the target in just 3.2 overs to record their first win. England boosted their net run-rate (NRR) from -1.80 to +3.08, surpassing Scotland's 2.16.

They'll Play The Game Their Hardest - Mark Wood

Mark Wood expressed confidence in Australia's commitment to play with intensity and fairness to secure victory in the upcoming match. The 34-year-old pacer hoped for England to advance to the next stage of the marquee tournament.

"We have got to show a little bit more and then fingers crossed for Australia. Then when you are through to that next stage every team can go on from there. I'm absolutely confident they'll play the game their hardest, that's the Australian way. They'll play hard and fair and try to get the win," Wood added.

Australia is the only team from Group B to advance to the Super 8 stage. They are scheduled to play their final group-stage match against Scotland at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia on Saturday. England will face Namibia at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on the same day.

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