Vaughan: Mark Wood More Crucial Than Stokes on Flat Cricket Pitches

Former England captain praises pacer's impact on the team

Vaughan said that Stokes is a colossus, talismanic, an incredible leader, and a brilliant player, but he just couldn't see how England could replace Wood /

By Priscilla Jepchumba

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, believes tearaway speedster Mark Wood is a more important player than Ben Stokes on flat grounds, and that Wood's absence from the final two Tests against Sri Lanka is a major setback.

Wood sustained a muscle strain during the tournament opener at Old Trafford, ruling him out for the balance of the series. England triumphed by 5 wickets on Saturday.

On day three, he departed the field after delivering two deliveries in his 11th over of the second innings for Sri Lanka and didn't bowl on day four of play.

"When you get on a flat pitch, Mark Wood is the most important player for England's Test match team. Yes, even more than Ben Stokes. Wood is that good - and his injury that rules him out of the rest of the series against Sri Lanka is a blow."

"Stokes is a colossus. Talismanic, an incredible leader, a brilliant player. But I just can't see how England can replace Wood. He's just got something very special about him," stated Vaughan in one of his media columns.

He referred to Sri Lanka's second innings on the fourth day of the tests as a good example of which England will miss Wood.

With Wood out and unable to bowl, Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal of Sri Lanka batted during the morning period, setting England a target of 205, which they reached with five wickets remaining.

"How much England missed him was evident on the fourth morning with that fantastic partnership from Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis when the pitch got flat and it became much easier for batting,” said Vaughan.

“We might get a lot of those conditions in the next year or so - definitely in Pakistan, and maybe a bit in New Zealand too. England need to find a way to take 20 wickets on wickets like that."

Vaughan went on to explain why Wood stands out among England's fast bowlers.

"The point of difference that Wood brings is so important. England have got to wrap him in cotton wool to try and get him available for 60 or 70 percent of Tests in the next year. Realistically, having Wood available that much would be a great outcome for England. A bowler like him is never going to be able to play every single game."

"Wood is now the most important cog in this England Test match wheel for them to go and beat India, for them to go and win in Australia. He's the player that opponents would most like to see not in the England side.”

"Even Jofra Archer, who is fantastic, doesn't bowl 95mph. This is a guy that is doing something that we've never seen in English cricket. There are not many around the world that bowled at Wood's pace with that amount of ferocity. Every time he's come on to bowl this summer, he's made something happen," asserted Vaughan.

"He is not only obviously brilliant for the team, he's brilliant for the game. We used to talk about Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff, and Stokes, and how they'd get spectators out of the bar to go and watch. Well, get out of the bar and make sure you're there watching Mark Wood. He is that bowler. A bowler like that doesn't just give a team a great point of difference. It also sends a shudder to the opponents' dressing room," he said in conclusion.