IPL 2018: Mark Wood reveals who advised him to leave CSK midway through the tournament

England pacer Mark Wood was recently in India plying his trade for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). But he left the team midway through the tournament in order to participate in the County Cricket ahead of the Test series against Pakistan. The franchise had bagged his services for the base price of Rs 1.5 Crore which raised many eyebrows given that he was in line for a Test come back.

He was even handed over the debut in the Yellow jersey by CSK in the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians (MI). Wood failed to impress in that game and went on to concede 49 runs during his four-over spell. He was benched since then and never played again.

Strauss’ suggestion to Wood

Mark Wood has now revealed that it was the director of England Cricket Board (ECB), Andrew Strauss, who advised him to come back home. “I’m glad to be back. It was a difficult decision and I was 50-50 whether I leave. Andrew Strauss rang me up and said, if you’re not playing, there’s real value in coming home to push my case and try to keep my spot in the team. I worked so hard trying to get back in the Test side. At the time I wondered whether it was the right decision but as soon as I got back and took some wickets, it was the right decision,” he was quoted as saying by Times Now.

The fast bowler was also disappointed that he wasn’t able to prove himself in the cash-rich league and looked determined to give another shot at it in the next season. “I would have liked to have played more. It was hard going travelling every day and not playing. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to prove myself in that competition. To have one game and not do well leaves a bit of a sour taste. I’d like to go back and have one more crack at it and prove myself at that standard, which is the best T20 competition in the world,” the 28-year-old concluded.

Wood has been included in the 12-man squad for the first of the two-match Test series which is set to commence on May 25.

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