Alright so yesterday after the T20 final, I kept thinking about Mark Wood’s role. Woke up this morning still buzzing, decided to dig into why England won. Grabbed my lukewarm coffee, opened the laptop – let’s do this.
Starting With Confusion
First thing, I re-watched the highlights. Honestly? All the talk was about Buttler’s hitting and Curran’s magic with the ball. But Wood… he just looked fast. Like, really fast. My initial thought: “Okay, pace is scary, but how does that actually win the whole thing?” Felt like I was missing something obvious. Needed specifics.
The Grunt Work (Mostly Me Scratching My Head)
- Step 1: Pulled up the scorecards. Scrolled through every England game, especially Wood’s overs. Noticed he rarely got smashed. Even when he went for runs, it was never a disaster.
- Step 2: Looked at when Jos Buttler threw him the ball. Key thing: It was often when the other team’s dangerous batters were new at the crease. Early in the innings? Boom, Wood. Or right after a wicket? Wood again. Made sense – unsettle ’em with raw speed.
- Step 3: Compared the run rates. Teams facing Wood slowed down, even if they didn’t lose wickets. His sheer pace forced batters to just survive, not attack. This is where my “aha!” moment hit. It wasn’t just about his wickets (though they helped!), it was about shutting down the scoring at crucial moments.
Connecting the Ugly Dots
Thought about my own backyard cricket – facing someone genuinely quick is terrifying! You’re thinking survival, not boundaries. Now imagine that pressure in a World Cup final. Wood did that constantly. He choked the flow of runs during those vital powerplay overs, and later when batters were trying to launch.
Made me realise how much “not scoring” helps the rest of the bowlers. Curran could sneak in slower balls because batters were already backed into a corner feeling pressure from Wood earlier. Wood’s pace set the tone. It felt like he was the metal chain link holding everything else together – hard to see its individual importance until the whole fence collapses without it.
Realized something else too: His figures sometimes looked average, but the timing of his spells and the pressure he created? Unreal. Stats don’t always show that. You gotta watch, you gotta feel the game.
My Tea Break Interruption & Final Thought
Right in the middle of typing, my kettle screamed. Making tea, I thought about all the headlines shouting about Curran (deservedly! man was brilliant). But walking back, I knew Wood was the silent engine room.
Simple takeaway? England won because they used Wood like a weapon at exactly the right moments. His speed wasn’t just for show; it forced mistakes, stalled momentum, and let the other bowlers breathe. He built pressure like stacking bricks. Easy to miss, impossible to win without. And I reckon that’s why they lifted the trophy. Took me half a pot of tea and a bunch of squinting at stats to really get it!
