Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar lauded the impressive bowling performance of England pacer Mark Wood during the first day of the third Test against Australia. Manjrekar also suggested that the Indian team consider fast-tracking Umran Malik, a promising young fast bowler, into red-ball cricket due to his extra pace.
Mark Wood’s impactful display, where he took five wickets against Australia at Headingley, caught Manjrekar’s attention. Despite not featuring in any Test matches for England this year, Wood made a significant contribution with his express pace and accuracy, playing a key role in bowling out Australia for 263 in their first innings.
Manjrekar highlighted the advantage of having extra pace in Test cricket, particularly against tailenders, as it restricts their ability to wag the tail and add crucial runs. He suggested that India could trial someone like Umran Malik for this reason. Malik, who has represented India in white-ball formats, has yet to debut in the game’s longer format. He has been selected for the Indian team for the ODI and T20I series against the West Indies.
“In Tests, extra pace ( Mark Wood) in the bowling attack has one advantage. The tail does not wag as much. India could trial someone like Umran Mallik for this reason,” Sanjay Manjrekar tweeted.
In Tests, extra pace ( Mark Wood) in the bowling attack has one advantage. The tail does not wag as much. India could trial some one like Umran Mallik for this reason. #Ashes2023
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) July 7, 2023
Wood’s exceptional speed and consistency significantly impacted the opening day of the Ashes 2023 series. Consistently bowling at speeds of over 150 kmph, he troubled the Australian batsmen and took key wickets, including Usman Khawaja.
The 33-year-old pacer played a crucial role in causing a collapse in Australia’s first innings, with their last four batters dismissed by Wood. His wickets included Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Alex Carey, and Todd Murphy. The Australian innings went from 240-4 to 263 in just nine overs.
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At the end of Day 1, England had reached 68/3, with Zak Crawley being the top scorer with 31 runs. Ben Duckett and Harry Brook scored 2 and 3 runs, respectively. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow remained unbeaten at the stumps.
Sanjay Manjrekar’s praise for Mark Wood’s exceptional bowling and his suggestion of fast-tracking Umran Malik into Test cricket highlights the significance of pace and its impact on the game, particularly in the longer format. It will be interesting to see how teams utilize the advantage of extra pace in the future and how promising talents like Malik are given opportunities to showcase their skills at the highest level.
