Mark Wood believes he can bowl faster than his record-breaking performance in England’s victory over Afghanistan but is sceptical of breaching the 100mph barrier.
Wood took two for 23 and touched a breakneck 96mph at one point on a bouncy Perth surface, with his average of 92.6mph the quickest four-over bowling performance in T20 World Cup history.
His slowest delivery was clocked at 88mph in a whirlwind display as England started their campaign with a five-wicket win and the 32-year-old suggested he can be even more rapid as the tournament progresses.
But the notion of joining Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar and Australia duo Brett Lee and Shaun Tait as the only fast bowlers to breach three figures on the speed gun is a step too far, according to Wood.
“I don’t think so,” said Wood, who touched 97mph in Pakistan last month in his first match back after elbow surgery. “When you look at the lads who are getting there I don’t think I’m in their bracket.
“I think I’ve got more consistently high pace than them if I can keep my form and my body well. I feel in a great place at the minute so hopefully I can keep that going.
“I actually feel I have more in the tank than that. It’s great to hear (about setting a new T20 World Cup average speed record) but I want to keep pushing the boundaries to get quicker and quicker.
“It’s four overs, isn’t it, so you can go full tilt a little bit more. I’m pleased that’s a good start but that’s all it is so there’s plenty of work to do.”
While Sam Curran claimed the first T20 international five-for by an English male in his side’s five-wicket victory, it was Wood’s speed that left an indelible mark on Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.
I want to keep pushing the boundaries to get quicker and quicker— Mark Wood
The talismanic leg-spinner was dismissed for a golden duck by Curran, who took four wickets in six balls as Afghanistan imploded at the back end of the innings, but Rashid watched in awe as Wood repeatedly cranked up the pace.
“We haven’t faced someone like 150kmh-plus, when you face him you understand what it should be like,” Rashid said. “Luckily I haven’t faced him so I’m happy. But it’s definitely a good experience.”
Wood, as is sometimes customary, fell to the ground in his follow through a few times in his opening burst against Afghanistan, blaming a grassy, tacky pitch for the slips which he felt brought his average speed down.
Wood has a chequered injury history so it can be an alarming sight to see him tumble, but he is optimistic he could feature against both Ireland on Wednesday and Australia at the MCG on Friday.
“I’m hoping to,” said Wood. “My body will dictate that. I’ll see how I pull up. That’s always the case and I’ll have a chat with the medical team and just see where I go from there.
“But that’s pretty common with me because of my track record.”
While England laboured in their run chase on Saturday before getting over the line with 11 deliveries to spare, a superb collective bowling effort was backed up in the field as Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Jos Buttler took highlight-reel catches.
Wood got his second wicket thanks to Buttler’s fantastic athleticism, leaping to his left behind the stumps to take a one-handed grab after opposite number Mohammad Nabi had gloved down the leg side.
“We’re hunting as a pack to get the next wicket, you all feel you’re together, people are moving well, there’s a bit of buzz around the field, everyone’s running out of position,” added Wood.
“In general you don’t want to get ahead of yourself but we felt ready (to play Afghanistan). Now we’re into the tournament, the challenge is can we back it up? We’re certainly ready for the (Ireland) game.”
