Winning Bizness Sports Desk

Mark Wood, England’s explosive fast bowler, is in the news now and for all the right reasons. He is doing what he should—taking wickets and plentifully at that. He has won matches for England of late, just as his seniors Anderson and Broad have done for them over the last decade-and-a-half. And he has done it in both, red-and-white-ball formats.

He made his first-class debut in 2011 and his international debut four years later in 2015. Right from his initial days, it was clear that he was a special bowler, immensely talented and capable of running through sides consistently. It looked like England had at last found a speedster to complement the great bowling duo of Anderson and Broad.

But alas, that did not happen; Wood was susceptible to injuries and hence his career has severely stuttered in the last seven years. It has been one of fits-and-starts—a breath-taking spell of bowling in one match followed by injury interruptions lasting several matches which has prevented him from having a consistent go in international cricket.

It looked for a while that Wood’s career would parallel those cricketers who had appeared on the scene like a dazzling meteor only to burn out fast. England has had its share of fast bowlers whose careers have been crippled by injuries in the recent past—potentially dazzling careers snipped cruelly.

It is his ability to come up with outstanding spells at 90-miles plus that has made him irresistible to selectors who have continued to place their faith in him despite his frequent trysts with injuries.

Names such as Simon Jones, Tim Bresnan and Steve Finn come to mind immediately. All three held immense promise and indeed had performed very well in the few chances they got. But injuries laid them low—Jones’ Test career was just three-years long (2002-to-2005) while Bresnan’s lasted a little longer at four years (2009-to-2013).

Finn too has suffered the same fate—an enforced change in bowling action (mandated by law) saw him lose his rhythm so totally that the England selectors had no option but to drop him. Additionally, ill-timed injuries too contributed to ending his international career.

Chris Tremlett is another English cricketer whose career was punctured by injuries, so much so that he retired from all forms of cricket when only in his early-30s in 2015. This unfortunate trend has continued with the explosive Jofra Archer also missing an entire year due to a stress fracture of the back. He is now in action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but it remains to be seen if he is as potent as he was before his injury.

Mark Wood has been more fortunate than those on the list above and others the world-over whose potentially brilliant careers have ended pre-maturely. He has been injured innumerable times since his international debut in 2015 but each time he has returned strongly, come up with a good performance only to succumb to injury once again.

It is his ability to come up with outstanding spells at 90-miles plus that has made him irresistible to selectors who have continued to place their faith in him despite his frequent trysts with injuries. A lesser player most certainly would not have enjoyed the selectors’ indulgence as Wood has.

Therein lies the story that has made Mark Wood the very compelling fast bowler that he is. At just six feet or a little more, he does not look like your typical fast bowler. And he does not behave like one either. Not very tall nor built like a tank, he does not swear or scowl like many other fast bowers do. And you rarely see him sledge.

Instead, he just comes steaming in, delivers at 90-miles per hour (mph), is accurate and has a mean bouncer which has got the better of many a batter on the international circuit. He has proved more than a handful on more than one occasion in red-ball cricket; in white-ball formats he can be run-restrictive as well as attacking. He has evolved into a top-class bowler, one who can play the situation—keep the runs down or attack to snare wickets when needed.

Not many know that in the 2019 World Cup, he bowled the fastest ball of the tournament at 95.7-miles per hour besides capturing 18 wickets, the second-highest after Jofra Archer’s tally of 20.

The 33-year-old from Ashington, Northumberland could have had a better record but for injuries. In 28 Test matches so far (it could have easily been 45 or even 50), he has bagged 90 wickets with three fifers to go along with two four-wicket hauls. His average is 30.88 and his best a 6-37.

In one-day internationals (ODIs), Wood has 71 wickets from 59 matches with a best of 4-33 and a healthy economy rate of 5.42. In T20Is, Wood has 45 wickets from 28 matches with a best of 3-9. His economy rate is slightly higher though at 8.35.

However, in T20s as a whole of which he has played 51 games, he has captured 73 wickets with a best of 5-14. His economy rate here, however, compares favourably with other international stars at just a tad over 8 at 8.11.

An interesting highlight here is that Wood’s best of 5-14 has come in the IPL while playing for his franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) against Delhi Capitals on April 1 this year. His five victims included Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh off successive balls in his very first over followed by the wickets of Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel and Chetan Sakariya.

An interesting highlight here is that this was only Wood’s second-ever IPL match. He had played only one game before—in 2018 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when he leaked 49 runs in his four overs against Mumbai Indians (MI). After that disastrous match, he did not play again in the IPL till the match against Delhi Capitals (DC) this season. He could not purvey his wares last year as he had to withdraw from the tournament due to an elbow injury that required surgery.

His 5-14 is the best-ever bowling figure for an England player in the IPL so far—the previous best being Dmitri Mascarenhas’ 5-25 for Kings XI Punjab in 2012. Wood was purchased by LSG for Rs 7.5-crore at the auction held in Kochi in December last year.

Wood debuted in first-class cricket in 2011 and had a dream beginning to his career; in his first five first-class appearances, Wood, then only 22, captured 19 wickets at just 21.63 which included a match-winning 5-78 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

In 2013, he had a dream domestic season, snaring 27 first-class wickets at a very creditable 24.07 to help Durham to the Championship title. But as has been the case since his debut, he was beset by injuries and thus found himself in and out of the team.

However, when fit and at his best he is a sight to behold and his captain’s delight. In the second-half of the 2016 season, he stormed back to drive his local side Durham to the NatWest T20 final. He was also a part of the England team that defeated Pakistan 4-1 in an ODI series.

There was a forgettable period for him when he had to undergo three ankle operations within a year in 2016. The year that followed was no better—heel injuries laid him low and as a result he could feature in only five early-season Championship games. Consequently, he lost not only his place in the England side but more critically, his central contract as well.

Many must have written him off then. However, Wood showed he is made of sterner stuff and also that he is a thinking cricketer. In 2018, he changed his run-up to a longer one so as to put less pressure on his body and allow him to bowl at speeds he did in his early days.

His turnaround in fortunes began in early-2019 though he was still to suffer injuries but at least this time he had performances that everyone talked about. On the tour of the West Indies, Wood claimed his first five-for and bowled at around 95-miles per hour, raising eyebrows around the international cricketing circuit.

He will be the go-to bowler for LSG this IPL; he has begun the tournament well and LSG’s progress will depend to a large extent on how effective he proves with the ball, both in terms of restricting runs and taking wickets.

Wood has always shone on the big occasion—returning from injury in 2016 on finals day at Edgbaston for Durham against Yorkshire, he snared some big names such as Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Plunkett and Tim Bresnan. In 2017, against Australia in the Champions Trophy again at Edgbaston, he captured four wickets for only 33 runs off his 10-overs; among his victims were David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.

Not many know that in the 2019 World Cup, he bowled the fastest ball of the tournament at 95.7-miles per hour besides capturing 18 wickets, the second-highest after Jofra Archer’s tally of 20.

In the 2021-22 tour of Australia, Wood was England’s leading wicket-taker though England lost that series 0-4. Since then, he has played only three Tests, again due to injuries and workload management reasons.

He will be the go-to bowler for LSG this IPL; he has begun the tournament well and LSG’s progress will depend to a large extent on how effective he proves with the ball. For England, he will be a key component of their bowling machine in the forthcoming Ashes.

He may not play all five Tests but if given a chance in two-three Tests, he can complement his seniors—Anderson and Broad—excellently. If fully fit, Wood could be a certainty in the England team, at least for a couple of Tests.

At 33, Wood is in the prime of his career. After the Ashes he will play in The Hundred and in England’s white-ball matches in September. If all goes well, he will be in India for the 50-overs World Cup in October.

Fitness permitting, he can be around for another four-to-five years. With both Anderson and Broad nearing retirement, he could even find himself leading the English fast bowling attack for a year or two. But for now, it is the IPL followed by the Ashes and then the World Cup later this year.

It is a crucial year for English cricket with both the Ashes and the World Cup to be held this year. They will need a fully fit Wood to fire. Wood at his best will be a cricket connoisseur’s delight and his pace will be much-needed if England has to win the Ashes and also fare well in the World Cup.