‘He’s got the heart of a lion,’ Ben Stokes praises ‘phenomenal’ Mark Wood after his match-winning performance at Edgbaston

In the just finished three-match Test series, England thoroughly defeated the West Indies to underline their dominance over the visitors and cap off an unforgettable series. Edgbaston in Birmingham hosted the third and final Test on July 26–28.

As the match came to a finish on Day 3, England captain Ben Stokes was compelled to commend star bowler Mark Wood. The 34-year-old’s outstanding performance during the two innings at Edgbaston earned him the title of Player of the Match.

In his 16 overs of bowling in the first innings, Wood grabbed two wickets and gave up 52 runs. He then bowled 14 in the second over, giving up 40 runs and taking a spectacular fifer to help his team win quickly.

“I believe that Wood received his rewards later than he truly deserved to. When he dons his England shirt, he consistently puts in an incredible amount of effort. At the post-match presentation ceremony, Stokes stated, “He’s got the heart of a lion and that little sort of 45 minutes or an hour when he had the ball is exactly what you want as a captain.”

“He was really amazing—quick, incredibly skilled, and he really opened the game for us there. Every ball seemed to be his opportunity to take a wicket. It will obviously be much harder when the balls are swinging backwards at 93 mph. He is crucial, crucial, crucial. Every team wants a player with his skill and X factor, and he demonstrated why it’s so crucial in today’s game,” he continued.

I felt pretty bad about myself: Mark Wood

After winning Player of the Match, Mark Wood expressed his dissatisfaction with his performance at the conclusion of the first session. But James Anderson, who will now coach England’s bowling for the remainder of the summer, gave him a clearer perspective.

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Wood said, “I was pretty down on myself and frustrated when I spoke to the management at lunchtime, but Jimmy [Anderson] gave me a great chat, telling me to focus on the skill side of things and moving the ball, rather than the outcome, and I really feel like that is what I tried to do.”