How leaving IPL mid-way helped Wood earn a Test call-up

At a time when Test cricket is fighting an uneven battle with the shrinking forms of the game, England fast bowler Mark Wood’s decision to prefer the five-day long toil with red ball to four huff and puff scattered overs with the white one has left the purists awestruck.

At a time when Test cricket is fighting an uneven battle with the shrinking forms of the game, England fast bowler Mark Wood’s decision to prefer the five-day long toil with red ball to four huff and puff scattered overs with the white one has left the purists awestruck.   

Wood made the difficult and less popular choice of leaving the IPL mid-way in order make himself Test-ready. From the packed noisy stadiums, Wood made way to small countryside grounds, all because of his desire to prolong his Test career. 

After making a comeback to the England Test side in New Zealand, Wood knew that he would have to string together continuous performances to cement his place in the side. But before he could spend more time with the red cherry, he was summoned by his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings to play in what is regarded as the toughest T20 tournament of the world – the Indian Premiere League. 

Wood was straight way in the mix, playing his franchise’s first match of the season and pretty much spearheading the new ball attack. However, his debut did not exactly go according to plan as carved around the park, ending up with expensive figures of 0 for 49. With stiff competition from other overseas players, Wood did not making it to the playing XI for the next nine matches. It was then the tall pacer decided to fly back to England and join his county side Durham. 

The result was instantaneous. Wood grabbed a career-best 6 for 46 against Derbyshire, which earned him a place in the 12-member England squad for the first Test match against Pakistan. 

Inaction in India was not the only concern for Wood. He was battling his injury-prone tendency that had forced him to go under the knife twice in 2015 and 2016. 

"I've had seven months injury free now, which I've probably never had before," said Wood.

"That's never even once crossed my mind," he said, when asked about the possibility of preserving himself. "Any game I play for England I love it. When I was in the back garden as a kid it was never T20 or 50 overs it was Test matches. In my mind, all the best players were at Test level and that's what I wanted to strive to. These days, the 50- and 20-over stuff is a huge part of the game so I'm delighted to be part of such a good team - we have an awesome one-day side - but the pinnacle for me is still trying to get into that Test and I think I have a real point to prove." Wood concluded.