England’s speedster Mark Wood whose career has been topsy-turvy with injuries, has made the cut for ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The pacer has not played International Cricket since March 2022 due to an elbow injury. The pacer is all set to roll his arm for the upcoming Pakistan T20Is. He is expected to play an important role because of his superior pace and control.
England Cricket Board would be hoping that the pacer returns to his best as England need to finalize their playing 11 quickly.
The peculiarity of Mark Wood’s bowling style is that he can surprise the opponent by bowling an impeccable short ball. The pacer has got all the traits in him to be a partnership breaker and it would be interesting to see how management uses him.
Mark Wood on Test Cricket
Mark Wood was seen interacting with the PA news agency and was asked about Test Cricket Return. “That day will come, eventually, but I’m not there yet.”
“I still want to play Test cricket and play for as long as I can. It was always my dream as a kid, to play for England as many times as I could.
“When England doesn’t need me anymore, or if my injuries get so bad that I can’t perform to the level I want, then I’ll look elsewhere and maybe think about a different path. But right now I’m very England focused and I want to play as many games as I can and win things for this team.”
“The Test team has had a great summer, they’re winning games, playing entertaining cricket and I can’t believe how relaxed the environment is under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.”
“It’s been fantastic and something I would love to be a part of, but I know I’m going to have to wait my turn because they’ve done so well. There’s a long list of bowlers trying to get in that side and I’m one of them. I’d love to play for Stokesy.”
Stern Test Ahead for Mark Wood:
Mark Wood will be under intense pressure during the upcoming Pakistan T20I series. After six months from competitive cricket, the pacer will be scratchy. The pacer will have to be spot on with his line & length as the Pakistani batters would be ready to pounce.
There will be a need for the bowler to have a big heart and to be able to learn fast. Jos Buttler’s availability is in doubt, which is a huge blow for ECB, as a new captain will have to be named. ECB would be hoping that Butler’s injury isn’t serious as he is the team’s heart.