BIRMINGHAM: England captain Ben Stokes believes Mark Wood can become the first bowler to be clocked in excess of 100mph (161kmh) during a Test match following his Durham team-mate’s thrilling display at Trent Bridge.
Wood hit a top speed of 97.1mph as England won the second Test against the West Indies by 241 runs to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in a three-match series ahead of this week’s finale at Edgbaston.
The 34-year-old only took two wickets in the match but the effect of his sheer pace contributed to successes at the other end, notably for off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who sealed England’s first series win since 2002 with a second-innings haul of 5-41.
And Wood made his presence felt more directly by forcing West Indies to change their side for a third Test starting Friday when he fractured the forearm of Kevin Sinclair with a rapid bouncer.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc holds the current record for the fastest recorded delivery in a Test, at 99.6mph against New Zealand in 2015.
Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar possesses the all-format international record after the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ sent down a 100.2mph thunderbolt against England in 2003, although many outstanding fast bowlers of earlier generations did not always have their deliveries timed accurately.
Stokes said Wood still had something left “in the tank” when it came to breaking the 100mph barrier but, speaking during a pre-match press conference at Edgbaston on Thursday. added: “I don’t know if he’s actually too bothered about it.
“He seems to be getting closer and closer to that (100mph mark), but I’m happy with what he’s doing now to be honest.
“Being able to sustain that pace is quite phenomenal.
“His average speed every time he plays a Test match is always above 90mph — it’s all fine and well trying to bowl one spell above 90 but every spell he bowls for England he’s clocking over 90mph,” added Stokes as he reflected on the sheer physical effort of his county colleague.
And Stokes was more than happy with how Wood, whose 35-match Test career has been blighted by injuries, was bowling right now.
“You have to hold your hands up and celebrate what we have there,” Stokes said. “He (Wood) has got the heart of a lion. He runs in spell after spell, ball after ball.
“When be bowls the whole game changes. When his name is read out the whole crowd is up, then when the speeds are on the big screen everyone gets going.
“Woody is always looking up at the screen as well to see what he’s clocking. He knows he’s in the team to not only bowl skilfully, but also fast.”
England captain Stokes backs Mark Wood to break 100mph barrier in Test cricket
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England captain Stokes backs Mark Wood to break 100mph barrier in Test cricket
- Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar possesses the all-format international record after the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ sent down a 100.2mph thunderbolt against England in 2003
- Mark Wood hit a top speed of 97.1mph as England won the second Test against the West Indies by 241 runs to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in a three-match series
Sunderland, Newcastle renew Premier League rivalry after decade
- The sides haven’t met in Premier League play since the 2015-16 campaign that ended with the Magpies’ relegation
- “We came from Bournemouth, Liverpool, Man City,” manager Regis Le Bris said of the Black Cats’ recent schedule
NEWCASTLE: As ninth-place Sunderland prepare to host 12th-place Newcastle United in the first Tyne-Wear Derby league fixture in nearly a decade, both sides will be trying to harness the hype in the right manner.
While Newcastle earned a 3-0 win in a third-round FA Cup match in January 2024, the sides haven’t met in Premier League play since the 2015-16 campaign that ended with the Magpies’ relegation.
Newcastle won the League Championship the following season to ensure a quick EPL return, only for the Black Cats to suffer the drop in 2016-17 and remain in the lower tiers until their promotion playoff triumph last spring.
Considered by many to be a relegation favorite, Sunderland (6-4-5, 23 points) instead have exceeded all expectations in their Premier League return.
And although they lost decisively at second-place Manchester City last weekend, they’ve performed well in general against the league’s best. They recorded draws against leader Arsenal, defending champion Liverpool and third- place Aston Villa, and defeated fifth-place Chelsea.
“We came from Bournemouth, Liverpool, Man City,” manager Regis Le Bris said of the Black Cats’ recent schedule. “So we play against the best teams in Europe every weekend. So it wasn’t so different, I think. We are preparing for this fixture properly with the right level of analysis on one side. But on the other side, we want to play our game. And it will be really important.”
Wilson Isidor leads the Black Cats with four goals. And Le Bris’ side has leaned heavily on defense to earn results, teams combining for only 35 goals scored across their 15 league fixtures.
Newcastle (6-5-4, 22 points) is on a four-match league unbeaten run (2-0-2) following a turbulent start to the campaign.
Nick Woltemade and Bruno Guimaraes have five league goals each to fill the scoring void left by Alexander Isak’s deadline day transfer to Liverpool. In his first season in England, the 23-year-old Woltemade is only seven goals shy of his previous best in the German Bundesliga.
Despite a midweek trip to Germany for a 2-2 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in their latest UEFA Champions League fixture, Magpies manager Eddie Howe said the main challenge Sunday will be keeping his players clear-minded rather than energized.
“The arousal levels are absolutely key because you can be too high or too low. I don’t think there will be many too low in preparation for this game but finding that place where the players play at their best is my challenge,” Howe said. “Of course, you don’t want the players to overthink things. It’s a very important game but we’ve got to focus on our performance so all of these things will be important.”
