Wood on the Mark
PACE ACE IS RARING TO GO AGAIN
MARK WOOD is ready to become a sudden- death hero for England and claims Chris Woakes’ injury will not harm the side’s Champions Trophy bid.
He admits losing the influential Woakes so early in the tournament to a side strain is a huge blow.
But the Durham paceman is more than happy to step up to the plate if Eoin Morgan wants him to bowl the highly pressurised final over against New Zealand.
England face the Black Caps in Cardiff on Tuesday in positive mood after smashing Bangladesh by eight wickets in the opening match.
Woakes’ withdrawal cast a shadow over the victory where Joe Root, who scored a century, also sustained an injury.
Wood said: “It is such a shame for Chris and the last thing the team needed was to lose a key man so soon. But we just have to focus on New Zealand and make sure we keep winning.
“I would be comfortable if the captain asks me to bowl that important final over.
“We have a few guys like Liam Plunkett and Ben Stokes who have done it in the past but so have I.
“I would be ready and happy to grab the ball.
“I’d have liked to have taken a few wickets in the opening game but it just makes me more hungry to get amongst them against New Zealand.
“They are a fantastic side and can beat anyone on their day so we need to move up a few gears from the way we bowled against Bangladesh. At least we managed to claw it back at the end at The Oval and stop them getting a big score.
“The thing about this competition is you can’t afford to celebrate a win for long. It’s straight on to the next even bigger challenge and you know that one poor display and you could be out.”
England v New Zealand Tuesday, 10.30am, SS2