Fast, furious, and finished - Mark Wood retires

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Welcome to the Haunted Library. Have you come in search of a tale? This podcast invites you to browse the shelves and find stories that will linger long after you've left this place. From Gothic masterpieces to pulpy penny dreadfuls, join me, Colin Morgan, With new episodes twice a week. Find The Haunted Library wherever you get your podcasts.

You're listening to the TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

He's in, balls very full.

He bowled him with a full delivery.

Kawaja is on his way. One stump on the ground. Massive explosion out there and a big explosion in the West Stand as well. Wood has done it for England. Here is Wood rushing into bowl. He strikes him on the pads. He shouts for LBW. They run for a leg by. He's given him out. Umpire Rasmus took a long time to think about that, and Wood has come back and he's got a wicket straight away. New Zealand have no reviews left. Taylor's already on his way. He's halfway back to the pavilion.

He's not out, is he? I think he's not out. England think he's not out. England are Convinced he's been run out. They're celebrating. It was thrown to the right end, to Butler's end, who had to work hard to take those bails off. England are sure they've got him. Wood waits, bat raised. Stark's on his way, left arm over the wicket. He bowls to him, that's guided away just for one. Scores are level. England need one to win. Stark comes in, bowls to Woakes, who steps away, switches it for 4, and England have won. Last ball of the innings, 141 for 7. Wood's on his way. He bowls to Krunaratne, who sides that into the offside, down to third man, caught! Hales takes the catch. He'll run off and get his pads on. And England know what they have to do to get through to the semi-final in Adelaide. They've got to score 142. Past the umpire, Stokes waits, bat raised, and heaves into the leg side. That's it! England win the T20 World Cup as Wood springs into Action goes wide of the crease. Bowled him! Bowled him! And England have regained the Ashes, and Lyon's stumps are shattered. England are in little groups jumping up and down.

Well, some of the highlights of Mark Wood's international career. He took 119 wickets in 38 Tests after making his debut in 2015, and that summer, as you heard, he helped win back the Ashes on home soil. In white-ball cricket, Wood retires as England's 6th highest wicket-taker in men's T20s with 54 from 38 matches, and he took 80 wickets in 70 One Day Internationals as well. And he's been speaking to Henry Moran.

Mark, why now?

I just think it's the right time. Obviously my contract's finished at the end of this month, and I didn't want that to be a distraction for the, the rest of the Guys, that's going to get their new contracts. It shouldn't be about, you know, my finishing, about them. So I just think it's the right time now, my home ground, um, and it takes the pressure off me a little bit, whereas I'm not always chasing, right, can I get back for T20, when's the next tour. I just think it's just a nice end of my contract to just take the pressure off, and whatever's next I can roll into without that desperation to, to get back, which I've done a lot of times with injury where I always want to get back. But this time I can— You know, take my time and hopefully get some cricket elsewhere.

How hard has the mental toil been, not just coming to this decision but over the years fighting that fight to get back?

Yeah, I mean, it's ground me down in the end, and I've never felt that I couldn't get back and be better or bowl quickly, but this time, 18 months really of playing one game, it's just ground us to a halt really where it's like I don't have that same sort of push or desire to keep putting my body through it. I knew that from a medical point of view, they told me I couldn't play Test cricket anymore and I couldn't play 50-over anymore because my knee couldn't cope with that workload. So I was left with T20 and I think again, like I say, just to go down a different avenue, it just seems like an easier route mentally because of the toll over the years of keep trying to come back, keep trying to push myself, keep trying to bowl fast and Ultimately, if I do get to come back, it'll be because I can still bowl fast. If I come back and I can't, then I'm not going to do it. I've got to be all in if I'm going to do it, and bowling fast is what I've tried to do, so I can't do anything else.

Was there any temptation to stay as a T20 international cricketer?

There was, but again, it just— with the contract situation ending now, I just feel it's the perfect time now to just say, look, it's a clear ending. I can move on from this little bit and not chase that, right? When's the England tour? When's T20? When do I need to try and get— because ultimately I'd have to prove my fitness first for a time, whereas if you— if I play here at Durham, I know that I've got until next year. If I try and get somewhere in the franchise, if I can do it, I can take my time in getting ready. But with England, you're always pursuing the next thing, so it just gives us a chance.

Any regrets in any sense?

Yeah, loads. I wish I'd changed my run-up sooner. I wish that that game at Perth had gone differently because in hindsight I probably wasn't as ready as I should have been. And yeah, other things with injury, I don't— it's part of who I am, but I don't want to be recognized as someone that's stigmatized with injuries all the time. You know, I'd hopefully be remembered for cricket as well. I regret some of my performances and wish I could have performed better. Other times when I've played when I was injured and I shouldn't have played, That's cost me and the team, cost my role in the team, or cost my stats, or whatever you want to be. But I'd give it as good as I got. I couldn't have given any more. I tried my best. I tried to bowl fast every time, and I can have that inner peace within us that, you know, I'd give it everything I had.

Talk to us about the thrill of fast bowling and bowling fast for England. I'm thinking of the Usman Khawaja dismissal on that spell at Headingley in the last Ashes at home.

Yeah, I mean, bowling fast is It's something that you just feel throughout your body. Some people will look at it technically and say, oh, this is— but for me, when I think about bowling fast, I see the line in which I'm trying to bowl, I feel it go through my body, and that's that sort of whip and slingshot and all that energy that comes through you. And it's almost like the perfect timing. I've mentioned before, chinks of a chain. When all them chinks are aligned, you have this big whoosh and it feels, feels pretty good.

What's next away from the field?

I don't know. I think I've enjoyed doing some media this summer. I've done my coaching badges as well. I think probably the media side of things is something I've enjoyed more. Coaching, it is a side that I would maybe like to pursue, but I don't know what that looks like at the minute. And then of course I'd love to maybe a year or two still trying to play cricket, still trying to, you know, play here for Durham in the Blast, or trying to play in the Hundred, or try and play some franchise stuff, or even play for Ashen. I would take any of them.

Yeah.

So that would be something That in an ideal world, a mixture of all 3 may be brilliant.

I think there's club cricketers in the Northeast area rather hoping you don't fulfill that particular side of things for Ashington. What's playing for England meant to you?

Everything. It was a dream come true. I used to practice in the back garden all the time. I'd go to the local cricket club with my friends. Playing for England was literally the dream. I can't believe that I've managed to play so much and experience all the amazing places, meet amazing people, play with the best players, you know, Root, Stokes, Anderson, Broad, Butler. I could go on and on and on about these great names who I've managed to play with. They're some of the best ever. I've won things like the World T20 World Cup, the ODI World Cup, and then in incredible teams. I feel so lucky to have done what I've loved and be a part of that, be paid for it, and traveled the world and seen all these places. Just unbelievable. So very, very lucky and very proud.

Do you recognize that you're unusual in the sense of seeing it with that wide-eyed wonder? And that's part of the personality I think people have loved as well, is that they can see how much you're loving every moment of it.

Yeah, but you have to play for fun. That's why we play, right? We play the game to enjoy. And bowling fast was something that I enjoyed. And, you know, I wanted everybody to do well. I wanted my country to do well. Ultimately, now I'm not playing, but I still want England to win and That is the way I grew up and wanted to be. So I hope England win today. I hope that they continue to win and then I can maybe commentate on how well they're doing. I'll miss being out there. You miss being in the dressing room. I've got loads of great memories. Just a shame I'm not going to have that one more spell. One more spell. I mean, I was hoping the day that I might get to open the baton because that's what usually happens on retirements. But that's not going to be the case.

And just finally, if there's one moment in years to come when you're in your armchair in Decades from now and you think, that was my moment for England, what will it be?

Well, I've achieved something like I've mentioned, the 2 World Cups, taking a winning wicket in the Ashes, but I think my personal thing would probably be St. Lucia or maybe Headingley bowling there, you know, to come 2-0 down in an Ashes series, drag it back to 2-2, be so close to making it 3-2, that would have been a real iconic moment, but to win away from home, win in Pakistan, win in South Africa, win in Sri Lanka. These aren't easy places, so to have that all on one CV, I'm very proud to, to have done that for my country.

I think we've loved it as much as you have. Thank you, Woody.

Thank you, mate.

Well, that's Mike Wood speaking to Henry Moran. I'm joined by BBC Sports' Matt Henry and also Wood's former England teammate David Millan. Fast bowlers, um, batsmen, I don't know whether they hate them or not, or whether they, they, they fear them. Uh, a lot of cricketers you talk to— I know I never feared facing a fast bowler, it was part of my job. But I mean, he was on his day, he was rapid.

Oh, he was. Um, I think any batter that says they didn't fear someone bowling 155 is lying, let's be honest. Um, it's never a nice feeling, it's never comfortable. And Mark Wood did that probably more consistently than most. Um, he was a wholehearted cricketer, someone who ran in all day, um, able to bowl, as we said, 95 miles per hour consistently. And, um, yeah, it's been a brilliant career for him, and I'm so pleased that he's managed to get through it. But, you know, it's not been without its challenges with these injuries, um, long periods in the gym doing rehab. It's been— yeah, it's been a tough time for him. And, and as someone who's been part of the change room, to see how he, he handled all those failures and setbacks and how he always had a smile on his face was, was brilliant to see as well.

It's interesting, actually, you speak to some people, you say, you know, any regrets? No, no, I didn't regret anything. But actually, he's got quite a long list of, of regrets there, kind of like a slight feeling of being unfulfilled.

Yeah, definitely. And I think if you look back at his career, you look at the amount of games he played, 38 Test matches. I mean, for the player that We've seen over the last 3 or 4 years when he has played, you'd think 38 Test matches is definitely not enough, uh, for the skill and the speed and the talent that he had. And that's all down to injuries, not necessarily selection. So you probably look back at that and he'd probably say he'd probably wanted to play more Test cricket. Um, if I were him, I'd have probably said run quicker in that World Cup final so we wouldn't have to go to the super over. But I mean, he was quick, but he didn't run that quick, as quick as he bowled. But, um, no, look, he can be proud of what he's achieved and And as you say, most, most players will look back and say, no, I have no regrets. And he probably will because he hasn't played as much cricket as he probably should due to all the injuries.

Matt, what about the northeast aspect of this? I mean, talking there about, you know, if I can play for Washington, you know, he kind of wants to, wants to play. Um, what, what, I mean, it's amazing what Durham have done here actually, isn't it, in the number of England cricketers that they produced?

Yeah, definitely. And Mark Wood follows on from Steven Harmison, who he's mentioned was his hero growing up. They both came from Washington. Cricket club. Wood is interesting actually because he, he wasn't one who came through the under-19 programs, was he, David? Probably similar sort of age, I'm thinking off the top of my head now, but he wasn't—

Slightly older.

But he wasn't someone who came through the under-19 program with England. He played club cricket for Ashington. He idolized, um, Stephen Harmison growing up. He used to run on the beaches up there in the north, in Northumberland, and he used to play club cricket. And then he gets into it that way, gets in here John Windows at Durham is someone that everyone here talks about, that talent pathway that they've had. The— you go through from, from Harmison onto Stokes, Collingwood, Potts, Carr, those— that line of fast bowlers, and Wood as well. I've got the order wrong there, obviously, but you know what I mean. That line of fast bowlers that they've managed to produce here, and they say there are more coming through as well. That's— he's just the latest of them, and it's quite inspirational, I feel, around this area. People do Everyone loves— well, I don't want to speak for everyone, but you imagine everyone loves watching Mark Wood bowl. But I think that is especially relevant up here because I think people are very proud of him.

How have they done it?

That's a very good question. I mean, they all— the cliché goes, doesn't it, that it's because of working-class backgrounds and things like that, that people who used to play club cricket. And I think people do push against that a little bit up here, that there's more to it than simply, oh, you pick teams who are playing in pit villages and things up here in the Northeast. And I think You probably are right to push against that a little bit because it's a good system that they've got that here. It isn't just all about raw talent of people who like to work hard and then bowl quickly. There is a lot more to it than that, and I think Durham have a good setup for developing fast bowlers.

One of the regrets, regrets, David, that he talked about there was not changing his run-up earlier. So remember, he used to bowl off quite a short run and basically used to put everything into a short run, didn't he? And then he lengthened there and he had that sort of long, smooth sprint to the crease and it seemed to come out even quicker. What about that? And how much did you face him and how difficult was it for you when you came up against him?

Yeah, well, he, he felt initially that that short run-up was what created a lot of his injury issues. It felt like he didn't have the momentum getting to the crease and it felt like it put a lot of strain on his body when he got to the crease. And the lengthening the run-up made it smoother, a bigger transition. He, he was actually quite scary towards the end when he used to run in, because he ran in from a long way and it was quick and he was looking at you and you were a bit like, oh, this is— this looks quick and it's going to be quick. Um, but I actually faced him for the first time here at this ground, at, at the Durham ground, and he was off his short run-up. It was in a 4-day game against Durham and he bowled as quick as I'd faced off that short run-up. I mean, people always said, oh, you know, he's skiddy and what have you, but when you face him, he had— when he was younger, he swung the ball. big into the left-hander. Um, and it really took me by surprise at how quick he actually was off that run-up. And then he played for England and he did exceptionally well, and the injury started. And then I remember facing him towards the end of his career. We played a couple of warm-up games, one in a white ball game in at Newlands, and then one, um, just pre that 2021 Ashes series. We played a warm-up game at some club ground and he bowled the speed of light off that run-up. And That was probably the first time I've seen him, and I've always felt like I had a good record in actual games against him, and that was off his short run-up. And I played a lot of white ball cricket, but I remember facing him there thinking, my word, this is rapid. And very often— not very often did you walk off from innings going, cool, that wasn't, that wasn't comfortable. And then he, he sort of went from strength to strength after that, didn't he? He bowled really well in that Ashes, and then every opportunity he got from there, he absolutely cleaned up for England. And, and as you said, he's— he was talking about that run-up, and he probably wished he'd done that earlier, and he might have had less injuries as he went on. The TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

Fall flavors are waiting for you at Whole Foods Market. Cozy picks all through the store, like maple leaf cookies from 365 brand. Swing by the bakery for pumpkin cheesecake, here for a limited time, and pumpkin turmeric bread, freshly baked every single day. Sip the season with 365 Brand cinnamon spice coffee and pumpkin spice creamer while you still can. Spice up fall at Whole Foods Market.

Welcome to the Haunted Library. Have you come in search of a tale? This podcast invites you to browse the shelves and find stories that will linger long after you've left this place. From Gothic masterpieces to pulpy penny dreadfuls, join me, Colin Morgan, with new episodes twice a week. Find The Haunted Library wherever you get your podcasts.

Where is he, Matt, in terms of England's fastest bowlers? Have you had a chance to have a look at that and think about that?

Yes, it depends actually how you judge these things. I think Wood's top speed was 97 miles an hour, and obviously You can tell me, Simon, about the bowlers that bowled in the '70s and the '80s were quicker than they are now. You can try and win that argument if you like, but I'll dispute it. Aggers would argue it, wouldn't he? But I think consistency—

I can't think of a bowler in the '70s and '80s that was as quick as him. And Bob Willis, you know, on his day could run in, but I would say, I'd say Mark Wood was probably quicker than Bob.

Yeah, I think so. He's statistically on record of when the ball tracking era we talk about from these people who keep these stats, the quickest. I think what Wood is Proud of, actually. I remember in 2022, that T20 World Cup that England won, I asked him there, can you hit 100 miles an hour? To follow on from the, the Brett Lee, Shaun Titchell, Shoaib Akhtar, the trio that had done it in international cricket. He said, no, I don't think— I think they're in a different league to me, but I can bowl quicker consistently. I can keep my pace. They could have a higher maximum speed, nudging just over 100 miles an hour, as those 3 were clocked on the speed gun. Wood thought that he could consistently remain quicker over a full spell than they would, and I think that is borne out in the, in the statistics.

What about the mental toil or demands of playing international cricket? And, you know, you could sense it there, that, that struggle to, to be fit because he wanted to achieve but he couldn't manage to do it. I mean, it's a top-level professional sport, is it? It's a hard game.

Yeah, it is. And Mark Wood is Probably up there, one of the most professional cricketers that I've ever seen in terms of diet and in terms of rehab, gym. I mean, I've seen it firsthand how he's been in the gym day after day. He's been working when everyone else has been out and having lunch and having a good time. He'd have been at a training session and then be in the gym for an hour and a half, 2 hours with the fitness, the S&C, the, the physios. He'd be on the physio bed getting taped all the time just to get him ready for games and And it's not easy, first and foremost, as an international cricketer with the pressure that that comes with. Secondly, being away for long periods, um, from home, from your family, and then to suddenly have all these injury issues, which— it sets you back massively. You work so hard to get fit and you get that feeling of, I am now ready, I've done all the hard work. You play 2 or 3 games, you do well, and suddenly there's another setback. It's not easy from a mental side. And Mark Wood seemed to find a way to get through that. He seemed to find a way to stay positive when he went through those setbacks. He always had a smile on his face. He was always the prankster in the changing room. Even if he had a bad day, you'd be able to see on his face, but look him in his eyes and he'd give you that smile, and you just knew that he was still there. And, you know, all credit to, to fast bowlers. It's not an easy job, and he seemed to find a way to get through it exceptionally well. And you're right, it sort of gave up on him in the end, and you can hear in his voice that he's so gutted that it had given up on him. But, you know, he can still be proud of what he's achieved.

That last Test match he played, Matt, was in Perth where it all went wrong. And, you know, he admitted it there, he just wasn't quite ready.

Yeah, it was— I actually found it quite hard to listen to Woody being so down on himself talking there about the regrets he had, because he definitely shouldn't have regrets. I compare him a little bit in the way to Ben Stokes, in the way that people talk about Stokes statistically might not be England's greatest ever cricketer, and Mark Wood statistically might not be one of their greatest ever bowlers. But I think for the moments that he's provided, like Headingley, like that game in St. Lucia— I remember a rapid spell he bowled against West Indies in 2024 that summer, took 5 for 9 in not very many balls as well. Edgbaston, you're probably working, Simon. But yeah, it's quite hard to listen to him being down, but those special moments that he did provide should be what you— he remembers rather than Perth that didn't go as well. And I think he's admitted himself he wasn't quite fit and England had put so much in to try and get him fit for that Ashes series, and they just ultimately didn't manage to do it.

Yeah, I mean, I love the fact actually when he was talking that into St. Lucia and Headingley, I mean, those were the two moments when he bowled so fast, and it was kind of almost you feel scared for the batters watching it, you know, the Kawaja dismissal at Headingley and St. Lucia as well when he took those a bundle of wickets. What have you picked out statistically about Mark Wood and his ultimates?

Well, just let we start. You start with, with speed, and obviously, you know, in cricket it's a very stats-based game, but there's just— Mark Wood has been one of the most enjoyable cricketers to watch because he does something that so few people have ever done in terms of the speed and the speed endurance he shows. In the 2021-22 Ashes, England got hammered and Wood had ended up with 17 wickets in the series, 9 of them in Hobart. He got 6 for 37 in, in Hobart. One of the best performances, innings performances by an England bowler in an Ashes match in Australia. But through that series, his sort of speed in his 4th and 5th spells of the day was absolutely phenomenal. He's bowled the 13 fastest recorded spells in Tests in England since 2010. In all Test cricket since 2019, his average speed is the fastest of any bowler, ahead of Arnrik Norrköping, Mitchell Stark and Bangladesh's Nahid, uh, Nahid Rana. And the impact he had on that Ashes in 2023— 14 wickets in the 3 Tests he played at 20. But that one spell to Kawaja, who'd batted hours and hours in the first 2 Tests, it just felt like England had unleashed a new weapon. It totally changed the series. He was a huge part in England coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-all, a series they could so easily, uh, so easily have won. And just looking at his, you know, he's not a, a cricketer you can sum up in stats. But once he'd shortened his run-up, um, prior to which he'd taken 30 wickets, an average over 40 in his first 12 Tests, uh, from when he shortened his run-up in early 2019 to the end of the '23 Ashes, he had 74 wickets at 24 in 19 Tests with 4 fifers. His ODI average also came down. He played a big part in that 2019 World Cup win, and his strike rate in Tests came down from 76 with the longer run-up to 45. with the shorter run-up. He started taking wickets at home, which had been, had been a bit of a glitch in his, uh, in his CV. But, um, yeah, there's the— you can look at the numbers with Wood, but as Matt said, it was those moments and just the glory of watching someone bowl as fast as he did, uh, and with the skill he had was, uh, I think is what his enduring legacy as an international cricketer will be.

Yeah, it's one of the great aspects, isn't it, of, of cricket, any cricket Really, international cricket or, you know, county cricket, whatever, even club cricket, is someone who can run in and bowl fast, a great leg spinner, a great fast bowler, and an absolute gun batter. Those are the kind of the, the 3 things. All international careers, all careers, all sports careers come to an end. What, what happens next?

Well, I hope he joins us here, doesn't he? More and more in the commentary box, because he is very good at this and he's a very enjoyable listen. Um, there's talk What he's saying, that he's not retiring from cricket full stop, as he's mentioned elsewhere, that maybe some franchise cricket over the winter, maybe get back in the Durham team next year. The body isn't able to do multi-day cricket anymore. He thinks it isn't able to do 50-over cricket. So if he can get back and win Durham a T20 blast next year, I'm sure he'll see that as a good way to go out.

Yeah, not said with any bias there at all. I mean, he's set up for T10, isn't he, now? A couple of overs, T10. Dawid?

Yeah, well, there'll be a few teams, uh, knocking on his door as soon as he's been declared fit. And why wouldn't you? 2 overs over 25 in a day, you'd be picking that, especially at his age. But, um, no, look, I, I think the fact that he hasn't got this England contract now and the fact that he has retired, it sort of allows him to sort of write his own time frame. A lot of the times you're fighting against sort of windows where you need to be fit or want to be fit. He could probably have this whole winter off if he wanted and get himself fit for the Blast next year, or maybe even the IPL that comes on the beginning of the year. So he has a window where he can get himself as fit as he wants without being under pressure, and I think that takes a lot of the weight off his shoulders.

What's it like though when you've played at the top level and you, you are coming towards the end, or it is the end?

Yeah, it's not easy. Um, it's something I really struggled with as well. It, you know, you end up playing at this level in front of 10, 15, 20, 30,000 people week in, week out. You have the pressure, you have the everything that goes with it, which really gets you up and going. And then suddenly you go to a franchise tournament in, I don't know, Canada or somewhere, and suddenly it's really hard to get yourself up for it. So, you know, Mark Wood has always been a player that gives 100%, and I feel like if he wants to bowl 150 clicks every single day, he'll find a way of doing it. So it might be an easy transition for him. The TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

I'm Steve Bracknell, assistant manager of Sunday League powerhouses the Royal Oak FC, and I'm back in changing room at Royal Oak for a new season of Game's Gone, the podcast that takes you back to the grassroots of the game, with me colleague Paul Sampson and Bob the Bookie. And this season we're aiming for promotion to Division D of the Sheffield Sunday Imperial League.

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Welcome to the Haunted Library. Have you come in search of a tale? This podcast invites you to browse the shelves and find stories that will linger long after you've left this place. From Gothic masterpieces to pulpy penny dreadfuls, Join me, Colin Morgan, with new episodes twice a week. Find The Haunted Library wherever you get your podcasts.