In his Wisden column, England seamer Ollie Robinson said, “Mark Wood was ‘too quick’ for Australia’s top-order during the third Ashes Test at Headingley,” The 33-year-old Mark Wood bagged the Player of the Match award for his express spell in the first innings. Mark Wood took 5 wickets giving away 34 runs and set the stage for England to win the match.
“It was crazy … I felt like if they hit it more than a meter either side of me it was a certain boundary,” Robinson wrote in his Wisden column.
Mark Wood makes Aussie batter find a new way to handle him
Wood has single-handedly changed the mood of the match with his bowling pace. Usman Khawaja who plays pace the best also couldn’t calm himself down upfront Wood’s pace.
He was consistently getting the ball to move, and at that speed, it was just too good to handle. ” It was just amazing to watch and be a part of, though not so amazing for the batters, I’d imagine.” Robinson wrote in his column.
Mark Wood way ahead of Khawaja, keeps him guessing
Mark Wood was vicious during his spell. He knocked over Australian opener Usman Khawaja’s leg stump with a deadly inswinger. Even Australia’s No 3 Marnus Labuschagne wasn’t spared.
“He was trying to give off the persona that everything’s fine, when it’s really not, because someone’s bowling 95 miles per hour. You knew it was too quick for him after that” said Ollie Robinson
Khwaja tried to show he was calm when nobody could have been in front of such flawless bowling. Ollie Robinson also praised Wood’s energy in the way he was putting effort into his bowling.
“And even (Khawaja), who obviously plays pace really well and has been in such good form, even he struggled with the pace at times. He went from having this quiet persona at the crease to suddenly smiling and joking, trying to give off the feel-good vibes that he was fine.”
He said: “Woody’s just got this mad, unique energy. There’s no one else like him,” Robinson wrote.
The Aussies struggle in the third match with England’s bowling.
Wood destroyed seven Aussie batsmen in the match, including 5 for 34 in the first innings. He touched a speed of 96mph regularly as Australia faced an entirely new bowling challenge compared to the first two Tests.
Mark Wood’s long spell destroyed the middle order
While at the Edgbaston and the Lord’s test, Australia played England’s pacers considerably well but at Headingley, they tumbled and lasted only for 60.4 and 67.1 overs. Wood bowled a seven-over spell in Australia’s second innings causing the Aussies the double loss of Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith.
The tail-enders couldn’t stand against Wood’s fuller deliveries.
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