England roared back to winning ways when they thrashed Pakistan by a massive 63 runs, but more importantly, kept the dangerous Pakistan top-order quiet. This was led by England pacer Mark Wood, who made a searing return to international cricket with three wickets in the 3rd T20I match of the series vs Pakistan.
In the match that was played in Karachi, Wood touched speeds close to 156 kmph as he tried to return to his usual best. All three of his wickets came off this extra pace, first trapping captain Babar Azam to third man and then picking up the wickets of Haider Ali and Haris Rauf.
Speaking after the game, Wood opened up about his forced break due to elbow surgeries. "You tend to be a bit fresh after seven months out," Wood told Sky Sports. "It's been a long time, and I felt very tired at the end. I know it's only a T20, but it's all the intensity of international cricket. But I'll rest up and be good again, hopefully in the future. The challenge now is obviously to back it up. Can I keep those speeds going?" the player said.
In the third fixture of the seven-match series, Harry Brook starred with the bat once again, hitting an unbeaten 81 off just 35 balls. Alongside Ben Duckett (unbeaten 70 off 42) He helped England reach a total of 221. Wood and the rest of the England bowlers then stifled a dangerous Pakistan batting line-up for just 158 runs.
"It was loud," he said. "They are knowledgeable about their cricket here and very supportive. I don't know if the cheers were for me or Babar or Rizwan, but they played really well the last game, so it was a big wicket to try and get them early doors. Toppers (Reece Topley) bowled a fantastic over before I came on, and that allowed me to try and be a bit more attacking with my bowling," the player said.
Wood needs to be critical for England in the upcoming T20 World Cup if he remains fit. "I've got plenty to work on," he said on the topic. "Today was a good day, but you know what it's like when you haven't played for a while, the adrenaline's flying, it's like you're making your debut all over again. The crowd was flying. So the challenge for me is the next one, can I repeat that?"
England play their next game against Pakistan on 25 September in Karachi.