Mark Wood: England haven't had the best of me yet
Wednesday 23 December 2015 11:36, UK
Mark Wood believes he will be better than ever when he returns from the ankle injury that ruled him out of England's tour of South Africa.
The 25-year-old has been hampered by his left ankle throughout the early stages of his international career, and surgery in November sees him miss the four-match series against the world's No 1 Test nation, which you can watch on Sky Sports.
The Durham paceman has taken 25 wickets in eight Tests since making his debut against New Zealand at Lord's in May, and he thinks there's plenty more to come.
"I don't think fans have seen the best of me yet," he said. "I know there's a lot more to come. I can bowl better and I'll be hunting more wickets and better performances in the future."
From the Horse's Mouth: watch Wood's diary of the UAE tour here
The persistent ankle problem saw Wood miss the third Ashes Test in the summer, as well as the final Test against Pakistan in the UAE.
"I knew it was coming," he admitted. "I'd just had enough and wanted to get something done - it was hampering the way I performed, and it just wasn't any good for the team or myself anymore."
Injuries have restricted him to just 32 first-class games in his career and, following the latest setback, he is nearly halfway through a rehabilitation programme after successful surgery last month. He admits that March's World T20 may come a little too soon, but hopes to return fully fit for the start of the English domestic season in April.
"Hopefully I'll not have to have so many breaks and my body will allow me to play back-to-back games more often in all three formats because that's what I want to do."
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The immediate future sees England in South Africa aiming for their first overseas series win since beating India in 2012. But Wood, who suggests it will be difficult to watch his team-mates from afar, thinks Alastair Cook's side are more than capable.
"It's going to be a huge challenge. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are going to be a big test, as are [AB] De Villiers and [Hashim] Amla, but they have just been beaten in India so maybe their confidence has taken a bit of a hit.
"We've got two of the best bowlers in the world in [Stuart] Broad and [James] Anderson, so I don't see why we can't go out there and get a good result - I'm actually quietly confident we can turn them over."
A place in England's pace attack is certainly fiercely contested - with Steven Finn, Mark Footitt, Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan all vying for a starting place alongside Broad and Anderson in Boxing Day's first Test.
"It's healthy to have competition like that," says Wood. "I'm now back down the pecking order, but I'll be doing everything that I can to make sure I'm fit and firing."
It's certainly been a breakthrough year for the man from the same hometown as Steve Harmison, after making his international debut in all three formats in 2015.
"A year and a bit ago I never thought I'd have the year that I've had," he said. "Where I am now - it's fantastic and I feel quite proud of what I've achieved in a short space of time.
"I've had a taste of the atmosphere and it's a special feeling when you win things like the Ashes. I'm hungry to have those successes again, personally I want to get a five-for, I haven't got a Test five-for yet and that's something that's on my radar, but hopefully getting my body right will allow me to do it more consistently."
The Ashes success, and the one-day series win over New Zealand, helped to recreate a feel-good factor in English cricket after a World Cup campaign earlier this year that saw England eliminated at the group stages. And Wood reveals there's been a conscious effort from within the dressing room.
"We're a lot more open than we previously were. I think what you see is what you get in this team. The lads act how they are in the dressing room - certainly playing with a smile on our faces and enjoying playing for England."
Wood himself personifies that, often seen in the outfield pretending to be a horse.
"There's not really much to it," he jokes. "I sometimes bring it out and pretend to joust other lads in the field - it's all part of fun and games just trying to keep the spirits up!"
But with injury curtailing his winter, we may have to wait until the summer to see Wood trotting around an outfield once more.
"It gets stabled for the winter. Obviously it's a bit cold in the north-east so it'll spend a bit of time there while I recover and hopefully come back out if I get a game!"
Watch England's tour of South Africa live on Sky Sports, starting with the first Test on Boxing Day from 7.30am on Sky Sports 2, or watch without a contract on NOW TV.
