Mark Wood was thrilled to receive the call from National Selector James Whitaker in Bristol on Sunday night that confirmed his long, hard road back from ankle surgery had been worthwhile.
Wood admits the prospect of representing England in this summer’s ICC Champions Trophy on home soil had seemed a distant one at various stages of the last seven months.
But after being contacted by Whitaker after the third day of Durham’s Specsavers County Championship game against Gloucestershire, he is relishing the prospect of wearing the Three Lions again.
“The Champions Trophy was always in my mind, but whether it would happen or not I wasn’t quite sure,” said the 27-year-old.
“So I was over the moon to be honest when James Whitaker rang. I’ve never had the opportunity to play for England in a world tournament, and doing it at home in front of our own supporters will be extra special.
“But I’m not going to get carried away looking too far ahead. I’ll start the 50-over competition with Durham to get used to bowling with the white ball again, and then there are the games against Ireland next week which we won’t be taking lightly.
“I made my England debut against Ireland at Malahide a couple of years ago, and we know from county cricket that they’ve got some good players.”
Wood’s comeback trail following his third ankle operation, after discovering that he had ended the 2016 season with Durham bowling with a fractured bone, began with his late inclusion on the warm-weather component of England cricket’s Pace Programme in Potchefstroom in January.
There was an apparent setback when plans for him to join the Lions for their one-day series in Sri Lanka were shelved, but that was a case of Wood and England’s medical staff playing safe, as he continued to rebuild confidence in his ankle and his bowling action.
Still, it was a big relief, not least to Wood, to see him ending the North-South Series in good fettle with two for 38 in the last game in Abu Dhabi. He then returned to Durham and warmed up for the season with a spell of four for six against the MCCU students, and although wickets have proved much harder to come by in two Championship fixtures against Notts and Gloucestershire, Wood is not overly concerned about that.
“I haven’t taken as many as I would have wanted,” he conceded after tightness in his groin restricted his contribution on the last day at Bristol yesterday. “But I’ve got some miles into my legs (66 overs), and that should stand me in good stead with my rhythm for the one-day games that are coming up.
“I’ve heard from a few of the England lads – I just got a text from Liam Plunkett, which was good of him, and to be involved with England again is a really exciting thought. There’s so much to look forward to this summer. I can’t wait.”