Mark Wood of England said that being a higher-order batsman in the third Ashes Test against Australia because he was an all-rounder would give him a “nosebleed” despite being named the game’s man of the match for his crucial exploits with the ball and bat.
When it came to the ball, Wood had an effect, taking 5-34 as Australia was bowled out for 263 in the first innings. He then added a critical 24 lower down the order, helping captain Ben Stokes (80) pull England to 237 and prevent Australia from gaining a significant advantage.
A match-winning unbroken 24-run partnership between Wood and Chris Woakes (32 not out) sealed victory at Headingley after Wood had taken two wickets.
He said that he was thrilled to be there and help England win the game to extend the series.
“I’m really thrilled to be here, particularly in my role as Man of the Match. We had a great victory, and it keeps the series going. In that dressing room, I was not good. The guys will tell you with clammy hands. But in the centre, it’s much simpler. I’m thrilled to have finally gotten England over the finish line with the bat after facing up against some of the finest fast bowlers in the world,” Wood said in the post-game press conference here on Sunday.
The pacer said that it was too early to determine if he could be classified as an allrounder after making contributions with both the ball and the bat.
Too early for that; if I go much higher, I’ll start bleeding from the nose. I’m not sure whether it’s the fastest, but as I down the hill, Bob Willis sprang to mind. Stokesy was quite clear about my job description: bowl quick, accurate spells while giving it my all. There is still work to be done. We’ll have to fight it since both sides have attacked the tail hard,” he added.
He said that he wasn’t sure whether his 24 runs in the first innings had much of an effect.
“I was happy with it, but I’m not sure what the effect was. I’m happy to have some runs. It’s wonderful how supportive everyone is everywhere we travel, but isn’t it always better up north? Fit for the last two? We’ll see how I pull up, but I’ll try to be ready, I hope,” Wood added.