Toss has been made bigger deal than it needs to be: Wood

by Rob Johnston • Published on Wed, Mar 17, 2021, 07:44 PM

"For the Twenty20s I think the toss has been [made] a bigger issue than what it actually is" - Mark Wood © BCCI

Mark Wood does not think the toss is giving the team batting second an unfair advantage in the current T20I series against India, despite all three matches so far being won by the side chasing.

India's eight wicket defeat on Tuesday came after England won the toss and decided to bowl first, a continuation of the trend this series. Eoin Morgan made the same decision in the opening game, which England won, while Virat Kohli decided to bowl first in the second match, which India won comprehensively themselves. Three games, three victories for the team who won the toss. It has led to suggestions that the outcome of these matches is being decided by the flick of a coin.

Wood, however, does not think the toss is having as much of an impact on proceedings as might be first thought. "For the Twenty20s I think the toss has been [made] a bigger issue than what it actually is," he said on Wednesday (March 17). "I think if either team has to bat first they both still think they can win the game. It's not seen as a huge disadvantage, it's just both teams prefer to chase because you know exactly what you need to go for and have seen how the pitch is playing. It's been made a bigger deal than it needs to be in the Twenty20s.

"If you bowl second, you get to see what the opposition have done, what works for them. But both teams, the way that their batting line-ups are, clearly like to chase. Often we know that we are going to be bowling first if we win the toss because that's how we play and we back ourselves.

"If the wicket determines something different, then I am sure we will be happy to bat first. We've got confidence in every player in that dressing room that if we need to bat first and get a big score, I am sure we could do that. Like I say, when you watch the opposition bowlers, you get to see the slower balls that are working, you need to bowl slightly fuller or shorter. You do get a feel off the opposition as well. But both teams do like to chase."

In both their victories to date, England picked up three wickets in the Powerplay, pegging India back almost immediately. A team wins 80% of T20s when they take three of more wickets in the first six overs and Wood felt that was a bigger reason for his team's success in games one and three than the toss.

"Early wickets have been key," he said. "When we put a dent in India's batting line-up then it makes it harder for them to get a big score at the end and they have to go doubly hard late on. That game plan will be the same whether it's bowling first or bowling second."

Wood, who missed the second game with a bruised heel, has bowled excellently in both of England's victories. He picked up three wickets in the third match before Kohli exacted some revenge by taking 16 from his last over. "Actually I thought a couple, I bowled what I wanted to do and he just played good shots," Wood said.

"Good players are allowed to do that. I said to him at the end 'that first ball you hit for six was a hell of a shot'. He got in, took his time and went at the end. He's a fantastic player we try to get out early. This time we didn't but we were still pleased with the score we kept them to."

Overall, it has been a positive return to the side for Wood after he was left out for the series in South Africa in November in favour of Tom Curran. And if Wood plays in the remainder of this series -he is fit for the fourth match on Thursday - he will be striving to learn more about Indian conditions ahead of the World Cup later this year. "I feel like I have played well in a couple of games but last summer I played well against Australia and then I missed out in South Africa," Wood said.

"We have got that many good bowlers that I don't feel like my place is a given. Ultimately we all want to be part of that group that plays in the World Cup and hopefully wins it for England. We have got plenty of back-up - people go in and out of form, injuries come and go - so it's important that as a group, no one takes their spot for granted.

"I'm watching their bowlers. I played with Shardul Thakur at Chennai and he's got a new slower ball. I'm looking at that and how well that's worked - is that something I could try and adapt to my game.

"My role has been pretty clear but behind the scenes I'm still trying to learn new things, slower balls, trying to get better at my yorker bowling. There's always things to improve on, these are the conditions we're going to come up against in the World Cup so it's about trying to get the right skills in place to adapt on any given surface or pitches we might come across here."

For now, though, Wood and England are focused on sealing a series victory in the fourth match on Thursday evening. "[It would be] a brilliant achievement to win in India against a top side," he said. "It can give us huge confidence going into the English summer and the World Cup being here.

"Although we are trying a few different things, a few different roles for certain players, I think it is a good opportunity when you put wins on the board like we did before the 50-over World Cup, it gives you confidence. We are not going to take a backward step now so it's keep going to try and get that series win."

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Toss has been made bigger deal than it needs to be: Wood

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