"They love him because of his heart" - Nasser Hussain explains how Mark Wood energized Headingley crowd
Former England captain Nasser Hussain heaped praise on Chris Woakes and Mark Wood after their three-wicket win in the 3rd Ashes Test at Headingley. Hussain reserved special praise for Wood, who rattled the tourists with his fiery pace, hitting nearly 95mph from the outset.
Wood and Woakes were two of the chief architects of England's nail-biting win to keep the series alive. While Wood took seven wickets in the game alongside crafting crucial cameos, Woakes picked up six scalps alongside an unbeaten 32 in the fourth innings to seal the win.
In his column for Sky Sports, the 55-year-old stated that the crowd loves Wood as he leaves nothing on the field and cares a lot about his teammates.
"His stats aren't why his team-mates or why the Headingley crowd love Mark Wood, they love him because of his heart. You know when a cricketer is giving it everything. He can run in and bowl fast - great, it's very watchable. But what any fan and team-mate want is someone with a massive ticker who cares deeply, cares about his team-mates, cares about the result and will leave nothing out there."
After a fifer in the first innings, Wood slammed 24 off 8 balls to shift the momentum in England's favour. He finished with two more wickets in the second innings and stepped up with the bat on day 4, scoring 16* off 8 deliveries.
"He'll get injured, he'll pick himself" - Nasser Hussain on Mark Wood
Hussain went on to compare Wood, who won the Player of the Match award, to his former teammate Darren Gough for lifting his teammates every time. The cricketer-turned-commentator elaborated:
"He'll get injured, he'll pick himself up and he'll go again, and that's all you can ask from a team-mate or an international cricketer. We had it when I was playing in Darren Gough - that sort of energy and clown who lifts you when your chin is dragging along the floor. Someone will say something in the corner of the dressing room, do something silly, and that's Wood."
The fourth Test starts on July 19 at Old Trafford in Manchester.