Pat won’t look back with anger
MARK WOOD is desperate to feature in South Africa and rekindle his pace race with Jofra Archer.
The speedy duo are yet to play a Test match together after their fast show in the ODI side that led to World Cup glory last year.
And if England do put the pair on the park together at the same time, expect their contest over who is the quickest of them all to continue at the expense of the opposition.
Wood is hoping to get the nod to replace Jimmy Anderson, who was ruled out last week with a rib injury.
Wood, 30, said: “When I’ve been in the team we have that sort of friendly competition.
“But deep down Jofra’s trying to prove that he’s the meanest, toughest fast bowler out there, as am I.
“We both want each other to do well, but we both want to be the quickest guy on show and we have a friendly rivalry over the speed gun.
“In the World Cup final I knew that I’d pipped him. I was clocked at 95.7mph and he was 95.6mph, and as we came off the field and into the dressing room I was dying to tell him.
“I said to him as he walked in ‘Jofra! I’ve got you! I’ve done you on the speed gun’.
“And he strolled past fresh as a daisy, looked me up and down with an ice pack on my side, an ice pack on my knee and an ice pack on my ankle and just said, ‘Yeah, but I think I’d rather be me’ and I was like ‘Yeah, fair enough, mate.’ I do like the idea of the two of us operating together in a Test match.
“Just as long as he’s not at mid-off asking me if I’m just warming up when I’ve bent my back!”
The fact that Wood was able to get such top speeds out of his body in the World Cup final came at a cost as he tore his side, and he has not played a game since.
A right knee injury has also come and gone, along with a bout of illness on this tour, but Wood is now back at full tilt and looking for the chance to back up his last Test performance in the win over the West Indies in St Lucia.
It was a breakthrough display from Wood as he claimed 5-41 before going on to be a World Cup winner.
And it is why England’s bowling department now has both Wood and Archer competing with Chris Woakes to replace Anderson in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
“I got through 35 overs last week in training, which is probably similar to a Test match week,” said Wood.
“But having not bowled competitively since the World Cup it is about building up, and I’ll be putting my name in the hat for this next game,
“If I’m honest, I think Jofra and Woakesy are ahead of me in the pecking order, but Port Elizabeth does reverse swing so that could bring me to the fore.”
PATRICK MAHOMES is using the bitter memory of falling at the final hurdle last term to make his Super Bowl dream come true.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback came within inches of the big game a year ago, only to see Patriots’ Tom Brady snatch it away in a dramatic overtime win in the AFC Championship Game.
And the 24-year-old from Texas is itching to lead his team to the season finale in Miami on February 2.
As he prepared for tonight’s home game at Arrowhead Stadium (Sky Sports Action, 8.05pm), Mahomes revealed how upset he felt after that game. He said: “It kind of went away and then you watch the Super Bowl last year and you think, ‘Man, I wish we were in that game’.
“But after that, I just went right back to working out, getting my body in the best shape possible and trying to prepare for moments like we will be in this weekend.”
And the third-year pro knows that attitude will be the key to winning tonight, and next week, during the win-or-go-home playoffs.
He added: “You have to make sure as a team you’re on top of it all game long.
“It’s going to be a 60-minute fight or even longer, whatever it takes.
“You have to make sure that you come in with that mentality that you’re going to play your best football.”
Later tonight, Green Bay host Seattle (Sky Sports Action, 11.40pm) with the club asking hundreds of fans to help clear the field and stands of snow, and temperatures expected to dip to -10C during the game.