Wood claims five wickets as his blistering pace has the Windies running for cover

Mark Wood ended England’s long wait for a bowler capable of blistering pace, breaching 94mph during an exhilarating career-best haul on day two of the third West Indies Test.

Wood was a bowler reborn onhistestcomeback,regularly hitting breakneck speeds as he claimed five for 41 and had the home batsmen running for cover for the first time this series. The 29-year-old did the heavy lifting as England bowled the Windies out for 154 and ended their best day of a torrid tour 142 ahead with Keaton Jennings and Rory Burns reaching 19 without loss.

Wood’s first 12 Tests, the last of which came nine months ago, brought 30 wickets at a modest average of 41.73, but over the course of 8.2 beguiling overs the Durham seamer begananewchapterthatcould propel him into a starring role in the summer’s World Cup/ Ashes double header.

After England were reduced to 277 all out, Moeen Ali took the wickets of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell before Wood came in. His first ball was brisk, his fourth England’s fastest of the series and his fifth whizzed to Rory Burns at gully having rattled Shai Hope’s edge at 92mph.

He greeted Roston Chase with something even nastier and the tall Barbadian could only fend it towards Burns at fourth slip. Given an over to work up to his hat-trick ball, Wood failed to make Shimron Hetmyer play but did clock in at a shade under 95mph. But then Hetmyer sprayed Wood’s short ball to Joe Root at slip, before Darren Bravo nicked on, also to Root.

Wood claimed his fifth wicket when he removed Shannon Gabriel with a yorker.