Mark Wood asked to think of West Indian players’ families after rapid record-breaking spell

Mark Wood’s rapid record breaking spell had West Indian centurion Kavem Hodge jokingly pleading with the England bowler to let him return to his family unscathed.

Wood was the pick of England’s bowlers, delivering a four-over opening spell that saw him touch 97mph and not dip below 90. He returned later in the day, but proved utterly luckless, hitting Alick Athanaze on the head and having Hodge badly dropped on 16 at slip by Joe Root.

Wood limped off late in the day that the England camp tried hard to play down as a suspected case of cramp.

The Durham quick’s second ball was 95.7mph and his fifth was north of 96mph in the quickest over in England since records began after the introduction of ball-tracking data in 2006. The third over of his spell was even faster, reaching 97.1mph.

Hodge’s maiden Test hundred led the West Indies fightback on the second day at Trent Bridge and Wood’s battle with the gutsy 31-year-old from Dominica, playing just his fourth Test, was the highlight of a terrific day’s action that saw the tourists fight back into the match.

“It was really brutal,” said Hodge of facing Wood. “It’s not every day you rock up and face someone bowling 93mph every single ball.

“There was one point I was joking, I said ‘hey I have a wife and kids at home!’. He started to laugh, and I think it made the century much more satisfying. Test cricket is brutal, it is challenging, it is mentally draining. To experience that, facing guys like Mark Wood, it was tough but it was satisfying.

“We had to flinch, some guys got hit but it’s part of Test cricket. I made my debut in Australia, it’s something I have to embrace and keep moving forward.

“I flinched [when Athanaze got hit]. The way I was talking, I thought I was going to get hit before that! It didn’t happen like that. Kudos to Alick. He bounced back and was able to stand his ground, and push on even further.”

Wood’s fitness is a concern for England as they look too return on Saturday and pick up the last five West Indies first innings wickets before setting a commanding target on a pitch that Hodge described as “really flat”.

It is thought that Wood has cramp in the hamstring area, but bizarrely the 34-year-old fast bowler reported to the England camp that he had never experienced cramp in his long career as a cricketer.

Wood left the field one ball into his 15th over, deep into the final session, following an issue with his left hamstring. The injury was strapped as he left the ground in the evening.

“Everyone watching Woody throw himself in 100 p[er cent at every single spell was exceptional to watch, and getting up to speeds of 97 was everything you want to see in Test cricket,” said the England assistant coach Paul Collingwood.

“We all remember the spell at Headingley against Australia last year, when he comes running in you look at the screen and see it coming up, first ball was 94, then it was 96, the crowd’s getting behind him, that’s what it cricket is all about. I thought the batsmen played him superbly well but it’s not just the impact on batters in the middle, it’s the tail-end as well. You’d hope he gets his rewards come tomorrow.

“He said he’s never had cramp before, which in some of the conditions he’s played in all the way around the world, it is surprising. I’m hoping it’s just a bit of fatigue. It’s been a hot day, he’s put all his effort into every ball. He had a smile on his face. Woody is always a little bit wary of injuries and niggles, so I think he’ll be fine.

“He certainly was stretching his hamstring, so I presume it’s in the hamstring area. I couldn’t believe it when he came off and said, ‘I’ve never had cramp’ so I’m not too sure what it is. He’s got a smile on his face, I think if he was worried it’s something serious he’d be pretty distraught but he seems pretty chipper.”