What should theoretically be a Caribbean cruise of a group stage for England now has the potential to hit rougher waters, with Mark Wood admitting that Saturday’s meeting with Australia will shape the perception of their T20 World Cup credentials.
A defeat would not be fatal for the hopes of reaching the Super Eight stage. But after Tuesday’s washout against Scotland, this could mean that defending champion Jos Buttler will have to both win in Antigua next week and boost her net run against Namibia and Oman while keeping an eye on the other results.
“You never have to get up for a game in Australia, but it’s a game that’s more important because of the points,” Wood said as England took a day off from training that would have been welcome at Kensington Oval 24 hours earlier.
“It gives things a different turn when we win this game than when we lose it; it looks and feels different. Lose and I’m sure that you, the media, will ask questions, as at the last World Cup [over 50] in India. So it will be an important game for us and we will try desperately to win.”
It could be that England tried too hard to change history on Tuesday, with head coach Matthew Mott describing his players as “sloppy” during the 10 overs that were watched and possibly affected by “nerves”. Wood was himself plagued by guilt after seeing George Munsey’s wicket marked with chalk for a non-ball when Scotland made 90 for no loss.
On the positive side, he continued the revival of Wood’s rhythm partnership with Jofra Archer. The latter had missed a touch during the 10-point expedition since his first, but he has made two in his second, using knives wisely and the nightmarish slippery short ball that comes with no discernible change of action or effort.
Both bowlers crossed at 90 miles per hour with the speed gun, with Wood reaching up to 94 miles per hour, thanks in part to the tailwind that may have also donated to this absence of balls. But as Archer has shown, the variations are just as valuable and not least on the surfaces expected here. Wood is working on two different balls that are slower, and uses one against Scotland, which is not supposed to be a significant drop in speed, but a cutter that is driven into the field.
It is not lost on Wood that he is back in the divine home of fast bowling, in the Caribbean he won his first five-wicket test in 2019 with a surprise and amazement in St Lucia. An exceptional crowd is expected on Saturday, and the Bayans – who could claim an all-time action to compete with any team-will be able to enjoy the English pair along with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
“It’s pretty cool, especially when you hear ‘Mark Wood at the Malcolm Marshall end’ over the Tannoy,” he said. “It was something very special for me. And I was in a cab the other day and the driver said, “I know you, you’re nippy, man, you’re nippy.”It’s nice to be here and to have this kind of recognition.”