kev selby

You could say Mark Wood should have slowed down. Maybe he should have. Three ankle operations before he was 27 would have convinced most bowlers to settle for 85 mph. He went looking for more. You could say the longer run-up was madness. Every fast bowler past 30 is told to shorten it. Fair enough. But he added yards instead, and at 34 he bowled 97.1 mph at Trent Bridge, the fastest Test over any Englishman has bowled at home. You could say he was never fit enough to matter. Maybe. But in 2023 England were 2-0 down in the Ashes when he arrived, and 14 wickets at 20.21 later it was 2-2. You could say he would have lasted longer at a gentler pace. He probably would have. But then he would not have been Mark Wood. Elbow stress. Knee surgery. Fifteen months out. Eleven overs at Perth, and that was the end. It all came at a cost. He paid it every time, and never once bowled a ball slower. Thank you, Woody.