Mark Wood is aiming to impress during England’s One Day International series against South Africa, which gets underway at Newlands Cricket Ground on Friday December 4.
Wood played a crucial role last summer for Eoin Morgan’s side as they became World Champions for the first time. However, the pace-bowler has found opportunities few and far between this year, making only 6 appearances in 21 fixtures, since the sport returned from Coronavirus lockdown.
“It’s hard to get into this team and you’ve got to take your chance when you get it,” he said.
“If I’m in form and firing, I’d like to think I could hold my spot, but that’s down to me. I had a conversation with Morgan before the first game and he was saying it’s a tough call.
“It wasn’t anything I did wrong, they thought I was preparing well, it was just the gut feeling he had and the team he went with. That’s international sport. We’ve just won 3-0 here; it proved to be the right call.”
When asked if he was disappointed about being left out of the IT20 series win, Wood said: “Yeah, I think so, a little bit. ‘Miffed’ is a great word.
“But I still hold core values of being a good team bloke. The team always comes first and you always want your mates to do well. There is a competitive edge that you don’t want to be the one to miss out, you want to be the guy that’s out there, but Morgy has a very open and honest dressing room and it’s the same with Spoons (head coach Chris Silverwood).
“If I want a reason for why I was left out or how I could get better or stay in the team, he would give me that answer. It’s not about banging on his door or trying to knock it down.”
Durham’s Ben Stokes has been rested for the coming ODI series and will return home alongside Jofra Archer, Sam Curran & Chris Jordan.
The World Champions will return to Durham next summer, taking on Sri Lanka at Emirates Riverside on June 29 2021.
Tickets are now available to Durham Cricket Members and those who purchased tickets for the IT20 fixture against Australia in 2020.
You can also enter the ballot to be in with a chance of watching them live on home soil for the first time since the final.