Thursday 14 May 2015 15:15, UK
He's the emerging seamer who has been selected in England's Test squad for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand.
After picking up his maiden international wicket against Ireland on his one-day international debut, he struck a fine 66 as Durham overcame Nottinghamshire in the County Championship. So who is Mark Wood? We take a closer look…
Name: Mark Wood
Age: 25
Nickname: Woody
County: Durham
Action: Right-arm fast-medium
ODI Caps: One - 1-25 v Ireland
First-class record: 80 wickets at 25.12 apiece
Twitter: @MAWood33
Emergence
Ashington has already given birth to one English pace menace – Steve Harmison – and now the Northumberland town has another seamer to shout about. After joining the Durham Academy in 2007, he made his Championship debut in 2011 against Nottinghamshire and was subsequently awarded his first professional contract in the same year by then Head Coach Geoff Cook, who was impressed by his ability to deliver “good performances in high-pressure situations”.
Title winner
Fit and firing after an injury-troubled 2012, Wood was a key member of Durham’s 2013 Championship-winning team – although his first meaningful contribution came with the bat as he struck an unbeaten 58 against Nottinghamshire. He followed up with a spell of 3-11, the first wickets in a season that produced 27 scalps at 24.07 apiece, his best figures of 5-44 coming in an emphatic victory over Surrey.
Lions honours
His domestic displays earned him selection for England Lions' tour of Sri Lanka and he quickly made an impact, taking a five-wicket haul against an Emerging Players side before a side injury forced him to fly home early. Off the back of an injury-hit 2014 Championship season in which he took 18 wickets at 34.17, Wood returned to Lions action on the tour to South Africa. Under Jonathan Trott’s leadership, he returned 4-29 against a Gauteng Invitation XI before playing in four of the five unofficial ODIs against South Africa A, taking four wickets at 30.75 - the Lions taking the series 3-1.
Style
A skiddy bowler who can swing the ball at pace - at six foot tall he may lack towering height but he still has the ability to rush batsmen. He also can reverse swing the ball. Wood has a quirky start to his run up, reminiscent of a relay runner about to receive the baton ready to spring into action. His is not a long run but it’s explosive.
England ODI debut
After spending England’s Test tour of the West Indies sat on the sidelines, unable to force his way into the team, Wood was named as one of four debutants for England’s one-off ODI against Ireland in Malahide in May. He claimed his first international wicket when he forced the Irish skipper Will Porterfield to drag on for just seven but managed to get just five overs under his belt before the rain arrived to wash out the match. “I spent a lot of time running drinks on,” he told ECB TV, “so it was a special moment to get on the field. My rhythm will come the more I play. It was good for people to eventually see me play.”
Watch England’s two Test series against New Zealand, starting with the first Test on Thursday 21st May.
