England quick Wood hopes to add to stellar scalps
England bowler Mark Wood hopes to add to an illustrious list of recent victims as the unbeaten ICC Champions Trophy hosts prepare for the semi-finals.
Wood returned figures of 4-33 as England beat Australia by 40 runs on DLS at Edgbaston on Saturday, eliminating Steve Smith's side from the competition.
Among Wood's last six ODI scalps are Hashim Amla, Kane Williamson, David Warner, Smith and Glenn Maxwell - the latter is the lowest-ranked of those star names in 23rd, three are in the top 10 with the Australia captain in 11th.
Wood has opened the bowling for England in the Champions Trophy, while a potent pace-spin dovetailing with Adil Rashid was vital in the Australia win and the Durham man is delighted to have earned the trust of England skipper Eoin Morgan.
4 - Mark Wood has taken a four-wicket haul in ODI cricket for the first time. Superb. #CT17
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) June 10, 2017
"It's a nice feeling," he said. "Obviously to have the confidence and backing from the captain is huge and I don't know if subconsciously I try a little bit harder, but you always try and get the best players out.
"It's a nice stat to have and hopefully I can keep that up.
"It gives you a lift up - you push your shoulders back and puff your chest out and you think 'he really needs you' and you want to be the man to change the game so that's what I'm trying to do.
"They are the guys that I think I would strive for before the game. Liam Plunkett's led the way the last few games, it's nice for me to pick up wickets this game [against Australia].
"Across the attack anyone can get these best players out but I don't know if it's just subconsciously when I get the ball, I raise the game an extra little bit. I don't know but I'd certainly like to try and keep it up."
Having burst onto the international scene in the 2015 Ashes, Wood's career was stalled badly by requiring three surgeries on his ankle inside 12 months shortly after that series.
However, having remodelled his action, Wood is now bowling pain-free and did not hold back when asked about his prospects of a return to the Test arena, with an Ashes tour on the horizon later this year.
"I am thinking about that, of course I am," he said.
"If I can do well in series like this and white-ball cricket and then back it up and be consistent and keep it going, yeah I'd love to get back in the red-ball stuff, the Test team, all those series.
"The body's holding up really well, the backroom staff have been fantastic with me since I've come back into the setup and sort of rolled me in sellotape for the next game and bubble wrap and things like that, but I've come out well and hopefully I'll be ready for the [Champions Trophy] semi-final again."