CHANGE OF PACE
Wood is pushing for recall after rest period
MARK WOOD has grown from the “choo-choo” to the bullet train who is hoping to put England back on the right track in India next week.
Armed with a pink ball, 95mph-Wood will ensure it is full steam ahead for Joe Root’s team under Ahmedabad’s floodlights in the day-night third Test.
The Durham paceman honed his sledging skills in the snowy North-east during prescribed rest and quarantine back home before rejoining the squad.
And Wood reinforced his commitment to England by withdrawing from Thursday’s IPL auction to prioritise quality time with his family amid a punishing international schedule in 2021.
Wood, 31, is pushing for a recall at the 110,000-seater Sardar Patel stadium, where some fans will be admitted.
He said: “My job is to take wickets and the captain has used me as a bit of a battering ram.
“In my last game in Sri Lanka I bowled a few longer spells, but whatever the team needs at one end I’ll do the best I can to help the guy at the other.
“One of our policies as a team is for the bowlers to work as partnerships and that’s vitally important on the subcontinent when it’s hot.
“Battering ram was not something I got labelled with in my younger days – we had Harmy [Steve Harmison] as the Ashington Express and I was his junior, the Ashington choo-choo train.
“It’s not the same here as snowy Durham but it’s nice to get back on the grass. My sledging skills are top-drawer because of all the snow we had back home.
“We’re looked after really well in a nice hotel, and you only have to look out of your window to realise it’s pretty hard elsewhere. I just have to ring my grandad and he tells me what hard yakka it was down the pit, so that puts things in perspective.”
On his decision to forsake IPL riches, Wood was refreshingly principled.
He added: “There have been big names going to the IPL for big money and it’s great for them.
“It’s life-changing money, which is why it was such a difficult decision for me.
“The plus side is you’re not just going for money reasons – you will hopefully improve your skills going into this year’s World T20.
“I’ve got a bit of unfinished business with the IPL. I only played one game for Chennai last time and I’d like another crack at some point.
“But I just didn’t think the time was right. For me, it was about prioritising my family and England at the minute.”