Injury problems have thwarted Mark Wood’s bid for international consistency but former England bowler Devon Malcolm believes the Durham quick may have finally cracked it.

Wood has offered glimpses of his capabilities in an England shirt since making his debut in 2015, with constant niggles preventing him from hitting his straps across a prolonged period.

But after returning in style to scare the West Indies across all three formats of the recent tour, the Wood that Durham have known and loved may finally be making the full step up.

That’s the hope of 50-cap international Malcolm, at least, relishing the chance of watching England’s hottest prospects at this summer’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. 

“He had been frustrated in the Test matches in the West Indies, sitting there, not playing but came in for the final match and did extremely well,” said Malcolm, speaking in Derby as part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan.

“He bowled very quickly. I like the changes to his run up. Prior to it changing I thought he was going to have a lot of problems with injury. 

“His jump and run put too much pressure on. Bowling in itself is hard, with ten times your body weight going through the front leg. 

“For him to have that short run up was going to create problems with knees, legs, back and shoulder. 

“But now it’s extended he looks like a fast bowler and a lot more relaxed. You need that momentum going into the crease.” 

Pace is the buzzword for England heading into this summer’s World Cup on home soil, with Wood and Sussex’s Jofra Archer looking to upset the consistency that took Eoin Morgan’s side to world No.1 status.

But Malcolm is no stranger to the virtues of frightening the opposition with raw pace, with his nine for 54 against South Africa in 1994 going down as one of the best Test performances of all time.

Now 56, Malcolm never really cracked one-day cricket but the chance to watch Durham’s Wood in front of packed-out home support is one that has him licking his lips.

“He looks like a proper fast bowler. He was impressively quick,” he added.

“He was into the team and all of a sudden the West Indies boys were not quite as in line as they had been earlier in the series due to his impressive pace.

“In English conditions and the early summer he will get some good movement as long as the wrist position is right. He has that extra bit of pace as well which makes all the difference.”

  • ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, commences 100-day tour of England and Wales and will be at over 100 locations and events before arriving back in London ready for the opening match on May 30