NASSER HUSSAIN: Mark Wood's elbow injury was a cruel blow for England

NASSER HUSSAIN: Mark Wood’s elbow injury was a cruel blow for an England attack that – without his X-factor – aren’t well-equipped on this surface… they have missed James Anderson’s skill and the heart of Stuart Broad

  • If Mark Wood had bowled, England might have bowled West Indies out for 300
  • But his elbow injury meant seam attack was Chris Woakes and Craig Overton
  • Ben Stokes provided some help but England aren’t equipped for this surface
  • I have said all along that I wouldn’t have made the same decision as England 

This Antigua pitch is as flat as anything, so when England had West Indies 282 for seven in reply to their own 311, you had to say that they were doing pretty well.

But the loss of Mark Wood to an elbow injury was a cruel blow for Joe Root and it increased the spotlight on the call to leave Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad at home.

If Wood had been on the field, England might easily have bowled West Indies out for 300. On a surface like that, you need a bowler with X-factor, someone who produces yorkers and bouncers, and gets it to reverse. The tail wouldn’t have enjoyed the trajectory he gets with his skiddy short balls, or his express pace.

The loss of Mark Wood (above) to an elbow injury was a cruel blow for Joe Root and England

It increased the spotlight on the call to leave Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad at home

But no Wood meant England’s seam attack was down to Chris Woakes and Craig Overton, with some help from Ben Stokes.

And while Woakes and Overton couldn’t be faulted for their effort, I’m not sure they would have been the first names on my teamsheet on a surface like this.

Don’t get me wrong. Woakes is a marvellous cricketer in England, where he averages 22 with the ball in Tests and 35 with the bat. He would almost be the first name you would write down.

But in the absence of Broad, Anderson, Wood and the likes of Olly Stone and Jofra Archer, it’s pretty obvious England aren’t well-equipped on this kind of surface. 


No Wood meant England’s seam attack was down to Chris Woakes and Craig Overton

They stuck at it well on the third day in Antigua — but, without Wood, these are tough conditions for the red-ball reset that everyone’s talking about.

I have said all along that I wouldn’t have made the same decision as England. Broad and Anderson are the two greatest bowlers in England’s history, and my own view is that you hold on to them for as long as you can, and then do the reset once they’re gone.

I appreciate why they did what they did. England feel they’ve regularly struggled to take 20 wickets abroad in recent years, even with Broad and Anderson at times, so they need other guys to get used to taking the new balls in conditions that do not suit them. But they have really missed the skill of Anderson, who bowled beautifully in similar conditions in Galle last year, and they missed the heart of Broad.

And don’t forget how well they both bowled in the UAE against Pakistan a few years ago — they are masters of their craft in any conditions.

Ben Stokes provided some help but it’s pretty obvious England aren’t well-equipped on this kind of surface

It’s all very well having discipline, smiles and a good team spirit, but all that stuff will only get you so far at Test level when a guy like Nkrumah Bonner is determined to give you nothing on a flat pitch.

And take nothing away from him — he held West Indies’ reply together, and has given them the advantage with two days to go. It was a properly gutsy innings.

There is another point, though. I’ve always felt that to win on pitches like this, you need two things — pace and some sort of unorthodox spin.

Wood’s injury means they had to get by without the first, but waiting in the wings is the Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, who has been on a few tours with England now without getting his Test debut.

Nkrumah Bonner held West Indies’ reply together, and has given them the advantage with two days to go

English cricket has traditionally handled leg-spin poorly — it’s as if we’re suspicious of it, because it doesn’t give us the control our captains seem to crave. 

But Parkinson has been deemed good enough to make the squad, so why not have a look at him out here? Especially if the pitches in Barbados and Grenada are similar to this one in Antigua.

Jack Leach has bowled steadily, and would have removed Bonner but for a dropped catch at slip. But if England are serious about improving in conditions that have traditionally thwarted them, they could do worse than look at a player who offers the possibility of beating the bat on both edges.

Unless they take the plunge, we’ll never know one way or the other.

Waiting in the wings is the Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson following Wood’s injury




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