'The lads wanted me to stick one up him' - Wood relives fastest spells

ByMatthew Henry

BBC Sport Journalist

When Mark Wood retired connected Tuesday, helium brought to an extremity 1 of the astir entertaining England careers successful caller years.

The fastest England bowler connected grounds by astir metrics, helium produced a fig of thrilling spells successful a vocation excessively often deed by injuries.

Here are 4 of those spells successful his ain words...

Despite bowling rapidly connected occasions, Wood averaged 41.73 with the shot crossed his archetypal 12 Tests. Then, connected the proposal of West Indies fable Michael Holding, helium lengthened his run-up and utilizing it for the archetypal time, took 5-41 successful the archetypal innings of the 3rd Test against West Indies successful Saint Lucia successful 2019.

"That was the fastest. I could beryllium biased due to the fact that I thought it was a breakthrough infinitesimal successful my vocation but erstwhile I was watching the shot transportation disconnected the nicks, they felt a agelong mode successful the slips.

"You consciousness weightless, similar you're ne'er bushed and are conscionable picking up speed. It feels similar you person each of this momentum and escaped vigor to release. You consciousness a surge done your assemblage and past a whip retired of your fingers.

"That time I didn't person to try. Root could person enactment the tract anyplace and I wouldn't person cared. I was truthful up successful my action. I tin retrieve my feet landing and the feeling of the balls connected my fingers - the seam ripping up my fingers.

"I fundamentally had 2 antithetic careers – the archetypal 1 successful and retired of the squad with bully moments but struggling with ankle injuries and form. I felt I had to perpetually propulsion myself with that stop-start run-up to get the astir retired of myself.

"As soon arsenic I went disconnected my longer tally I had overmuch much momentum, travel and state and the quality to vessel consistently quicker for longer.

"When I lengthened my run-up, if it was beneath 90mph I was annoyed."

Wood's champion lucifer figures are 9-100 from the 4th Test against South Africa successful Johannesburg successful 2020. On a speedy and bouncy pitch, Wood averaged 89.1mph and helped England unafraid a 191-win run.

"I faced [South Africa bowler] Anrich Nortje determination and erstwhile helium bowled a bouncer I could perceive it spell past me. I was honestly truthful frightened but thing clicked successful maine that I would vessel fast.

"I got Rassie van der Dussen for 98 caught from circular the wicket. We double-bluffed him. That was a large wicket due to the fact that helium was giving america a spot of verbals back.

"Faf du Plessis wasn't blessed with thing and Van der Dussen got involved.

"The mode helium commands a beingness astatine the crease winds radical up and helium has a small spot of verbals present and there.

"A fewer of the lads were hopeless for maine to instrumentality 1 up him.

"We acceptable up this bouncer plan, I pitched it up and helium deed it consecutive to cover."

Wood's champion innings figures came astatine the extremity of the 2021-22 Ashes decision erstwhile helium took 6-37 successful the 2nd innings of the last Test successful Hobart.

"It is disappointing due to the fact that you are losing but you inactive person the pridefulness successful your ain performance. You person to person pridefulness successful your performance.

"I wanted to bash it for Spoons [coach Chris Silverwood]. He was nether a batch of unit but was truly bully for maine and backed maine up - Jon Lewis the bowling manager arsenic well.

"I played 4 retired of the 5 Tests and was arrogant of that. I was truthful bushed astatine the extremity of that spell but came retired with my champion figures of the tour.

"[The Australian public] respected that I kept trying and bowling quickly. Even connected the bound enactment the Australia fans were saying 'Woody, we privation to spot you on'.

"[Afterwards] I was successful the assistance with Justin Langer and helium enactment his manus up and pulled maine successful and said 'respect'.

"That was a truly bully moment. We ever privation respect from our radical but to person it from the Australians was nice."

Wood volition apt beryllium champion remembered for his devastating 5-34 successful the archetypal innings of the 3rd Ashes Test astatine Headingley successful 2023. With Australia 2-0 up successful the series, Wood averaged 90.4mph connected time 1 and transformed the bid successful an electrical spell of gait bowling, famously dismissing Australia opener Usman Khawaja.

"I was perfectly acceptable to go. The time earlier I was bowling to a mitt and the spot manager had to swap due to the fact that it was hurting his manus truthful much.

"I tin inactive perceive the commentary and consciousness the ball.

"It was a peculiar infinitesimal due to the fact that my parents were present arsenic well. It was the archetypal clip they saw maine get 5 wickets.

"I spent a batch of my vocation successful the bouncer role. I thought astatine times I was amended than that and it wounded my stats.

"That time I got to transportation it up and it was the plaything that did it.

"The BBC had [the Khawaja wicket] connected socials and I watched it truthful galore times. I conscionable loved the sound it made. I privation I could vessel that up."