Mark Wood is bowling faster than ever at the T20 World Cup, delivering a 96.15mph ball to Glenn Phillips in England's crucial win over New Zealand.
And Wood has revealed how advice from legendary West Indies quick Michael Holding helped him hit top speed. One of the biggest changes Wood has made since his Test debut in 2015 is lengthening his run-up, something he did in 2018 after seeking advice from Holding during a Test match at Lord's.
Holding took 249 Test wickets during a golden era for the West Indies and had spoken on commentary for Sky Sports about how he felt Wood's short run-up was putting too much strain on his body, leading to him suffering regular injuries and preventing him bowling faster.
After hearing his comments, Wood approached him and went away to work with England's lead fast-bowling coach Kevin Shine on putting Holding's advice into practice. "I was a bit stubborn really because I didn't want to give it up – because that had got us to that level," Wood told the Telegraph.
"But I just wasn't consistent and I wasn't doing it enough. And when I changed my run-up it got easier and I got quicker. That's when it really turned for me.
"It's like a rocket. All of a sudden you have this build-up of energy and then everything's aligned. If you get the timing exactly right, it just flies.
"Sometimes you know when everything clicks, you can tell by the way you land – the speed of your run-up, the timing of your land and the timing of your head coming forward, your arm coming through. You know as soon as the ball's left your hand, literally within a millisecond – that's a fast one."
Wood's average pace in T20 cricket this year is 92mph, his quickest yet, and he bowled the fastest four over spell in T20 World Cup history in England's opening game against Afghanistan. And the 32-year-old believes he can continue to crank up the pace.
"I think I can bowl consistently quicker and that's the challenge – keeping those paces up," he added. "I feel like maybe my top speed won't go up much but I can consistently try and bowl above 90mph."