Mark Wood savouring every moment after ending England Test drought

‘With the way my body has been, it’s something you can’t take for granted’

Mark Wood celebrates with Joe Root (Getty)

You have to go back to 12 February last year for Mark Wood’s last Test wicket.

It came in the third match of a series against West Indies: a solitary dismissal in the second innings after his maiden five-wicket haul in the first. For many, Wood included, it represented a breakthrough he wanted to build on.

Alas, he has had to wait until Sunday 19 January 2020 to increase his tally. His two wickets in South Africa’s follow-on innings have taken him to 38 in total and put England in a commanding position to win the third Test. Tomorrow’s equation is four wickets required in time likely to be limited by the rains that have blighted the last two days. The hosts are 188 behind.

“I love it,” beamed the 30-year old quick, thrilled to be back in whites and playing his first competitive game since the World Cup final last summer. He made sure he enjoyed every moment of it, too: the two wickets were supplemented by an exceptional catch to help Joe Root to one of his four wickets and a remarkable cameo of 42 from 23 in England’s first innings of 499 for nine declared.

“I’ve waited quite a while to come back. July was last game I played so I was trying to have fun, take it all in, play with a smile on my face. With the way my body has been, it’s something you can’t take for granted, it could be my last game. Just try to enjoy it out there, it was a lot of fun even if I did milk that catch.”

The wait between Test matches merely highlights where Wood is with his body and the management required to keep such an electrifying bowler on spec. That he did not take wickets in South Africa’s first innings was not down to a lack of effort or certainly speed: he operated above 90mph for much of his 11 overs, conceding just 31 runs and helping Dom Bess pick up the five that he did while they were operating in tandem.

But his desires had been satiated by the World Cup victory. Wood had 18 scalps at an average of 25.72 and an economy rate of 5.16. And while he ended up bowling the fastest ball of the final, it came at a cost. The side strain he picked up in his final over is the reason he has been out of action to date.

Rehabilitation is nothing new to Wood, who spends as much time fine-tuning his ankles as his action. But remedial work at the end of the season and a fast-bowling camp here in South Africa prior to the tour has got him right. But he would not change a thing about that day at Lord’s. And frankly, why would he?

“I had three balls left,” he remembers from his last over. “Every ball I bowled it got worse so I knew it was pretty bad then.

Mark Wood bowls South Africa opener Dean Elgar (AP)

“I spoke to Morgs [ODI captain Eoin Morgan] about just getting through the three balls. It’s a World Cup final so I didn’t want to limp off after 9.3 overs. I got through those three balls and knew I was out the Ashes.

“I would not swap that for the world. To be a World Cup winner, I’d take that any day of the week even if I didn’t play another game of Test cricket I’ve always got that to look back on and fond memories. That was the pinnacle of my career.”

Up there may also be a series win in South Africa. But while England do hold all the cards going into the final day at St George’s Oval, the weather is still likely to play a part.

“I’m concerned,” admitted Wood. “I thought Africa was the sunniest place in the world and then I come back and it’s like Durham. I think I’d be lying if I wasn’t a little bit worried.

“But because we’re in a hot country and the wind’s blowing, you hope that it’s going to dry quickly if the wind stops. We managed to get a lot of cricket in today and we played really well. If we have the same attitude tomorrow then and that same sort of bowling in partnerships that I thought we did really well in the first innings. If we can do that in tandem tomorrow and be consistent with each other and back each other up then I think we’ll be in a good place.”