“The work has been to make sure that my feet don’t cross over when I land”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

England pace bowler Mark Wood has been plagued with ankle problems as of late, so much so that he has undergone three surgeries in the last 13 months.

In his most recent operation on October 13, Wood had a half-inch chunk of bone removed from his right ankle and was subsequently ruled out of England’s recent tours of Bangladesh and India.

In an attempt to ensure he doesn’t face any more problems with his ankle in the future, Wood is realigning the landing position of his feet when he is in the midst of delivering the ball.

“I have been tweaking my action with Kevin Shine at Loughborough over the last few weeks,” Wood said. “The work has been to make sure that my feet don’t cross over when I land.

“Everything is in a straight line at the moment, so when it comes to the full-blooded action, it won’t be as bad as it was when I caused that freakish injury.”

Wood last played for England in their home series against Pakistan in September, but after initially feeling discomfort in the front of his right ankle, it soon spread to the rear.

“I was just trying to bowl as fast as I could and that meant resting between games rather than doing the drill work necessary,” he said. “Structurally there is nothing wrong with my ankle now, so it’s down to me now to work hard.

“I feel I can get more consistent, so my pace should be up there and I will be stronger.”