“I probably thought too much, ‘Why am I not getting a wicket?’ But Jimmy was good to me,” Wood said. “Jitan Patel and the rest of the staff, too. Just thinking about the process, when the ball was going to turn, Jimmy made me think more about how I was going to bowl the ball – a couple here, a couple there, the fielding – and that took my mind off things a bit and when I got the first wicket, the confidence came back and I stopped thinking about anything else and just bowled.”
While Wood was named Player of the Match for his efforts, England’s Player of the Series went to Atkinson, who took 22 wickets at 16.22. Atkinson took 12 on debut at Lord’s and, having bowled alongside Anderson, took the new ball in his absence, but still benefited from the advice of England’s most productive bowler of all time as he settled into his new role in the dressing room.
“He doesn’t have to give too much,” Atkinson said of Anderson’s comments. “I think there are little things, little questions that he asks that give you confidence. To get that from a guy like Jimmy means a lot and really helps. I look forward to working with Jimmy again in the future.”
Atkinson has impressed with his pace and ball-moving ability, mostly using his scrambled seam. While not as fast as Wood, Atkinson said he is working on providing more consistent speed over longer spells, despite regularly being in the 93-97mph range. He also revealed that he has changed his run-up since the January-March tour of India, having pulled out of his IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders to focus on working on his technique to make it longer like Wood.
“I changed my run-up. It was something I felt I needed to do. I felt I was inconsistent in the crease, so improving my run-up helped me a lot. So I pulled out of the IPL and prepared for the Test summer. I think it was important to play in Surrey in the Championship. Playing in the Blast also helped me get into a rhythm for the series. I did some crazy things but I just changed my run-up a couple of times. (In a straight line) and it was about three metres longer.”
On Wood’s impact on the speed gun, he said: “It’s going to be quite difficult to get to that pace, but I’m always trying to improve my pace. It’s the first time I’ve played three games in a row, so it’s going to be a good test physically. But that’s something I’m going to work on and try to increase my pace more and more.
“It’s been great to back up and take wickets in the last two Tests. On a flat wicket, you like to do whatever the captain says – throw a bouncer or whatever. Backing up has been fantastic and I’m looking forward to the future.
“The faster I can bowl, the better. That’s definitely something I’m going to focus on, just trying to bowl faster for a longer period of time.”
Wood also had an extra day of rest after the second Test, which ended in four days, but was happy to maintain his pace during the back-to-back appearances. He said he was “quite sore” at the moment, but said he would focus on rest and recovery during the Hundred as he prepares for the series against Sri Lanka, which begins in late August.
Wood developed the ability to swing the Dukes into his mid-30s, but he had no illusions about his primary utility for the team.
“I’m mostly in the team to bowl fast and achieve something there,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t want to be pigeonholed as just an enforcer, maybe bowling a technique (role) and hopefully I can show in that short period that I can do that. But above all, my role in the team is to bowl fast.
“The wickets in England are not that fast, but with the Dukes’ ball I’m trying to move the ball at a faster pace rather than just being a fast bowler, and actually trying to move the ball in some way to make it a bit more threatening.
“The other thing is, I’ve gone from being a guy who would throw one or two quick pitches to someone who’s consistently getting up to speed, and that makes a big difference. And I’m really proud of how I’ve been able to throw consistently and get up to speed. It’s great to look at the screen and see that I’m still getting 90-plus miles per hour.”
Alan Gardner is the deputy editor of ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick
