ENG vs WI: Mark Wood bowls fastest Test over by England pacer at home, clocks 156.26 kmph speed

Nottingham, July 19 (IANS) Mark Wood scripted history as he bowled the fastest recorded Test over by an England bowler at home during the ongoing day of the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge here on Friday.

Wood, who replaced retired pacer James Anderson in England’s playing 11, set the bar high in his first over as he wasted no time and clocked the speed of 93.9 mph (151.1 km/h) on the first delivery to opener Mikyle Louis. He bettered his it and clocked 96.1 mph (154.65 km/h) on the second ball, leaving the batter clueless. Wood continued his onslaught with deliveries at 95.2 mph (152.88 km/h) and 92.2 mph (148.06 km/h) before delivering a searing 96.5 mph (155.30 km/h) yorker on his fifth ball, which Louis managed to dig out for a single.

The 34-year-old England pacer ended the over with another fast delivery at 95.2 mph (153.20 km/h) to West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, averaging 94.40 mph over six balls.

In his second over, Wood ramped up the heat with deliveries clocked at 95 mph (152 km/h), 93 mph (149.66 km/h), 95 mph (152 km/h), 96 mph (154.49 km/h), 97.1 mph (156.26 km/h), and 94 mph (151.27 km/h).

In the third Ashes Test at Headingley last year, the 34-year-old Wood beefed up the tempo when he reached blazing speeds of 91 mph, 93 mph, 95 mph, 93 mph, 94 mph, and 93 mph in an over. In the end, England prevailed by three wickets in the test.

Wood upped the ante when he hit a short delivery against Louis at 97.1 mph in his third over.

The 34-year-old is regarded as one of the world’s quickest bowlers across formats. In the Multan Test in 2022, he set the fastest Test delivery speed of 156.6 kmph against Pakistan.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, which England won, Wood bowled the fastest delivery of the tournament, clocking 154.74 km/h against New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips in a Super 12 match. Wood dominated the top 10 fastest deliveries of the World Cup, with six of his balls exceeding 153 km/h.

Wood also set a record for the fastest T20 over in men’s cricket, averaging 149.02 kmph in a four-over spell against Afghanistan during the World Cup. Additionally, he bowled the fastest delivery of the 2019 ODI World Cup, reaching 154 km/h against New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls in the final at Lord’s.

–IANS

ab/bsk/