Mark Wood Addresses England Players’ Comments and Golf Criticism

England Players’ Comments

Mark Wood, the England fast bowler, admits that some comments made by his teammates to the media have been “a bit dumb”. England, known for their bold play on the field, have also been outspoken off it under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

Examples of Controversial Comments

• Ben Duckett said he wouldn’t mind if England lost the one-day international series in India 3-0, as long as they won the Champions Trophy.
• During the 2023 Ashes, Zak Crawley stated that the team was “not about winning or losing, we’re about entertainment”.

These remarks led Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, to admit last month that the players “speak a lot of rubbish a lot of the time”. Wood agrees and thinks the players have been naive in their public statements.

Wood’s Viewpoint

On the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Wood shared his thoughts: “Sometimes we’ve been so… naive, a bit dumb, in the things we say in the press. We’ll say things in the dressing room, and that should stay there.”

He continued, “Then we come out in the press and we’ll say an off-the-cuff one-liner that maybe a group of lads have been talking about; it’s in the press, then it looks like we’re ‘Billy Big Boots’, above our station.” Wood stressed the importance of respect and clarified that he is not upset with his teammates.

Golf Criticism

England cricketers have also faced criticism for prioritizing golf over their cricket careers. Former captain Kevin Pietersen criticized the team’s approach during a poor white-ball tour of India, where they won only one out of eight games.

Wood’s Response to Golf Criticism

Wood, who doesn’t play golf, disagrees with the idea that England players are not training hard enough. He said, “One thing that does bother me is this narrative of ‘Golf, golf, golf’. I don’t play golf. I don’t like it. It’s not a game for me. I know the lads enjoy it and that’s their time off.”

He emphasized that the golf games do not take priority over training and that the team works hard. Wood is currently recovering from knee surgery and hopes to play a couple of games for Durham in July before being considered for England’s five-match series against India from June 20 to August 4.