Cricket News: Fast bowler for England Mark Wood acknowledges that during his protracted injury hiatus earlier this year, he considered quitting Test cricket.
His decision to stick with the longest format of the game would have been applauded by his coaches and teammates this week, as he marked his return to red-ball cricket with six wickets to aid England in a 26-run victory over Pakistan in the second Test.
Before returning in time to take nine wickets during England’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in Australia, where injury also kept him out of the semi-final and final, Wood had not played in a Test match since March due to two elbow operations and a hip injury that would keep him out for the summer.
His first exposure to life under the direction of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum was during the second Test in Multan.
Yes. When asked if he had ever thought about retiring from Test cricket, Wood replied, “I wondered if I’d do white ball only.”
“My body will eventually tell me it’s the right thing to do, but I didn’t prepare for the white ball; I trained for all forms of cricket.
“I’m glad I persisted because I really wanted to experience this with Stokesy and Brendon.”
In Pakistan’s second innings, Wood claimed four wickets, including those of Mohammad Nawaz for 45 and Saud Shakeel for 94 in six deliveries, leaving the hosts 291-7 and facing defeat.
It brought up England’s first series victory in Pakistan since 2000–01, which followed their surprise triumph in the first Test and continued a successful start to Stokes’ captaincy, a position strongly supported by Wood.
Stokesy, the young man Wood grew up with, has a strangely mature appearance now. He has always had a great cricket brain, which may explain why he speaks so well. But he’s just so much more well-rounded than he was when we were kids in terms of how he comes across, how he behaves, and the messages he conveys.
Mark Wood says, “He was this dominant individual who would never give in. He still possesses all of it, but he now exhibits additional traits. He’ll wrap his arm around folks and speak his thoughts clearly. Some of the terms I didn’t believe he had in his locker. To be fair, he has performed at a high level.”
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