Mark Wood insists he doesn't need rest

Mark Wood insists he doesn't need rest
Sat, Jul 25 2015


Mark Wood said that back to back Tests weren't a problem for him © Getty

England pace bowler Mark Wood insisted that he didn't want to be rested for any of the Tests in the ongoing Ashes series. A reputation for being injury-prone and a drop in pace in the second Test at Lord's sparked several British media agencies to call for giving the 25-year old a break. Amidst calls for the inclusion of Steven Finn, the other seamer in the squad, and leg-spinner Adil Rashid, Wood said that he didn't want to miss any games for England, let alone Tests against Australia.

"I definitely don't want to miss games for England," Wood said. "We have got some good fast-bowling stocks and say the next fast bowler was to come in and take five wickets then I am out of the team and can't get back in, then being rested looks pretty stupid.

"We've had a little bit of rest time going into Edgbaston, then we've got Trent Bridge where famously I have played more first-class games than anywhere else, and done well there. I wouldn't want to miss either of these two games," Wood added.

Wood, who ended with figures of 1 for 131 in the second Test, attributed his drop in pace to the conditions at Lord's and added that he was ready to play at both Edgbaston and Trent Bridge despite just a three-day turn around between the two games. "At times when it is a flat pitch and people get in, you don't want to concede runs so you might bowl within yourself. I wasn't consciously down on pace, maybe it was tough on my body.

"My pace was down, which is something I'm going to have to address. But I've only played four Tests now and I'd say the more I play the better I'll get. I'm still relatively new and will take time to get used to back-to-back Tests. For me the positive at the minute is I've managed to come from the end of last season when I needed an operation and it was doom and gloom body wise to now having been available for selection throughout the summer and before in the West Indies."

Meanwhile, Wood shared his concern for Australian batsman Chris Rogers' health but added that should the opener declare himself fit for the Edgbaston Test, England would not relent on their aggressive bowling strategy to him. Rogers was hit on the head at Lord's by a James Anderson short delivery and suffered a dizzy spell in the second innings and had to retire ill. He has since undergone treatment and has been named in the squad for the next game but Australia will take a call on his inclusion in the playing eleven on the eve of the Test match.

"It's never great when you see someone get hit or go down," Wood said. "You might have the intent or aggression to hit people but when they do get hit it's not really that nice, especially when he had a dizzy spell.

"If he declares himself fit for the next game, that will not deter me from bowling a bouncer though. I'm sure the rest of our lads will be the same - if he declares himself fit then he's fit. You don't want to see someone have a dizzy spell, I wish him all the best, hope he's all right. But if he's fit then he's fit, so it'll be just the same as normal."

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