World Cup 2019 winner Mark Wood admits to mental health issues due to constant injuries

England fast bowler Mark Wood revealed that he suffered from anxiety after multiple ankle surgeries left him worried for his future in the game. Wood made his England national team debut for all three forms of the game in 2015. He had impressive starts in each of his debut games, recording figures of 3–93 and 1–47 in his first Test match against New Zealand, 1-25 in his first ODI and 3-26 in his maiden T20I game. However, Wood's career has been derailed multiple times due to a continuous spate of injuries arising from his bowling action. 

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World Cup 2019 winner Mark Wood contemplated quitting cricket

In an interview with ex-England pacer Steve Harmison for the Cricket Collective on talkSPORT 2, England's World Cup 2019 winner Mark Wood admitted that he had considered bringing his career to an end in 2016. After a number of injuries forced him to miss out on most of the 2016 season, Wood said that he could not come to terms with the idea that he may never play at the highest level again. Wood said that he was at his lowest after he realized that his second ankle operation had not gone well and that there would be a third one soon. 

"I ended up having some pretty bad mental health stuff with anxiety. I had a panic attack on a flight. I was sick of the rehab. I thought I'd never reach the potential I thought I had. I was generally just sick of not being the player I wanted to be," Wood explained. Wood also admitted that he had been contemplating a switch to white-ball cricket saying, "It's four or 10 overs. It's less stress on my body and I can still make money for my family. That could be a possibility even in the future I might have to go down. I don't know." 

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Mark Wood stats

Wood's decision to stick through the bad times worked out excellently. He came out all guns blazing at the Cricket World Cup last year, where he bowled the fastest ball of the tournament - at 154kph. A major change-up in his game was his longer run-up, which allowed him to bowl with his usual pace, but with much less strain on his body. Wood credits this idea to the England team's coaches and physios. 

So far, he has made 399 runs and taken 50 wickets in just 16 Test matches for England. In ODIs, he has taken 64 wickets in 53 games. In the World Cup, he took 18 wickets in 10 matches at an economy of 5.17. He was the last man to fall in the historic World Cup final after being run out. This led the final to go into a Super Over, that won England their first-ever World Cup. 

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Image Credits: AP