England fast bowler Mark Wood set the stage alight with a fiery spell of pace bowling on Friday, clocking 97.1mph on day two of the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Wood bowled the fastest overs ever recorded in England and even though he did not pick up a wicket, his blistering speed kept the Windies batsmen on the edge as they reached 89-3 by lunch in reply to 416.
Wood's four-over burst was the fastest in English conditions since detailed records began in 2006, overtaking his own mark at Lord's in 2021 and Headingley during last summer's Ashes.
Every one of his 24 deliveries was above the 90mph mark, with his slowest ball at 90.4mph. Each of his first three overs set a new record for the fastest ever seen in this country, averaging north of 93mph.
Wood is one of the handful of genuine quicks left in the game who also play Test cricket regularly. And even in the longest format, Wood does not shy away from going all out from the start.
Opener Mikyle Louis faced the fastest ball of the spell from Wood, dropping his hands and weaving out of the way as it zipped through to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Having survived Wood's onslaught, Louis went after the off spin of Shoaib Bashir and hoicked him to the leg side where Harry Brook held an expertly-judged catch.
For Bashir, who did not bowl in last week's innings victory in the series opener, it was a first wicket on home soil.
The second wicket fell just before lunch when Kirk McKenzie spooned a simple catch off Bashir into Ben Stokes' hands at mid-on.
Gus Atkinson, the other fiery pacer in the team, then opened his account by bouncing out visiting skipper Kraigg Brathwaite for 48. After giving his side a positive start at the top of the order, Brathwaite was hurried by a well-directed short ball and flapped to the waiting Ollie Pope at short-leg.
The crowd on Friday, however, had already got their money's worth watching Wood's sensational burst. The right arm quick has been plagued by injuries for most of his career but has refused to restrict himself to white-ball cricket.
Also, at 34 years of age, Wood's ability to generate extraordinary pace in Test cricket is a testament to his dedication and the importance the team attaches to Test cricket.
