QUICK OFF MARK

England’s Wood shows fearsome pace in five-wicket haul

ASHINGTON lad Mark Wood took up the baton passed on by Steve Harmison to put the frighteners on the Windies with hostile pace.

And it showed what England have been missing in India, Australia and here in the Caribbean as the home batsmen were routed for 154.

It has been a long time coming for Wood, who has battled injuries since playing his part in the 2015 Ashes win. But he has always been a bowler England hoped could provide the pace X-factor.

Wood claimed best-ever Test figures of 5-41. Before the game, Wood spoke about wanting to follow in the footsteps of Harmison, who ripped through the Windies in 2004 and when Shimron Hetmyer was caught at slip for his fourth scalp, here was another Durham dynamo doing just that.

And Wood said afterwards: “All the time I’ve had with injuries and self-doubt and today I felt like a new player.”

Harmison, now a TALKSPORT pundit, said: “Having a quick bowler, especially away from home is so important.

“Everybody can get behind a real pace bowler and it changes the whole atmosphere.

“That is what England need, whenever we go abroad we need someone to take wickets out of nothing. They are a team again with a fast bowler.”

Wood was not even supposed to be out here with Olly Stone picked ahead of him.

But as Wood knows only too well, someone’s injury hell is another person’s good fortune.

Harmison added: “It’s brought a big smile to my face. I’ve seen him grow up and seen how hard he works to get himself fit.

“I was talking to Mark before he got selected. We had been coaching the kids when we heard that Olly Stone was coming home. I said, ‘It can only be you’.

“He knew he had to perform. There will be so many people pleased for him, not least me.”