4 minute readChris Woakes is a very good and admirable cricketer. He didn’t have the best of time in the last Ashes but has since bounced back in the shorter formats. If he were to play a Test match, he would not doubt take a bunch of wickets. Nevertheless, England should pretty
Continue readingTag: Mark Wood
Frankly, you might as well open the bowling with Mark Wood
< 1 minute readThe big news from England’s warm-up piss-take of a match against a New Zealand XI is that they’re thinking of having Retired Hurt open the bowling. Accounting for three batsmen, he was England’s most successful bowler after Jimmy Anderson, who took 4-56. Root deployed just the nine bowlers and even
Continue readingTest cricket is what Mark Wood wants to play – but even if he’s keen enough and fit enough, modern cricket won’t allow him to do so
< 1 minute readIf you haven’t already seen it, our latest piece for Wisden is about Mark Wood and the weighted, weighty decisions faced by current England cricketers. The crux of it is this: if Mark Wood doesn’t (a) fluke his way into the Test side for the two Tests against New Zealand
Continue readingAustralia suffer forestation
< 1 minute readThat’s our way of saying they were Wooded. We wrote about the benefits of having Adil Rashid in your side a couple of days ago. Mark Wood offers something similar. Remember how the middle over used to be? It was like the batsmen saw everything in high-definition and everything moved
Continue readingMark Wood and Steve and Ben Harmison play cricket together
< 1 minute readIn their normal clothes. The video this image is taken from is the very definition of ‘intensity’. Brace yourselves for some electrifying cricket before clicking the link.
Continue readingMark Wood and Steve and Ben Harmison have all joined Ashington Leisure Centre
< 1 minute readHere’s a picture of them brandishing their membership cards whilst wearing their normal clothes. It’s like they always say in Ashington: ‘No matter what you’re doing, always remain visible while protecting your head, hands and eyes.’ They have some damn catchy slogans up in Ashington.
Continue readingWhat Mark Wood might be
< 1 minute readOther than a fast bowler, feisty lower order batsman and a medieval knight of the outfield. These are, of course, major reasons why Mark Wood is currently our favourite cricketer, but it’s not just that. He’s also unfamiliar, so there’s a wonderful uncertainty about what he might yet be. It’s
Continue readingNew Zealand have something atop their spine
< 1 minute readLooks like we’re gonna need a bigger skull. A year ago we wrote about how New Zealand’s first few vertebrae – the batsmen at three, four, five and six – needed to be (metaphorically) full of brainy gloop to make up for shortcomings at the top. After a 148-run opening
Continue reading