Luke Wood reveals words of wisdom from Wasim Akram helped him on his England debut

Luke Wood launched his international career this week with the words of advice from the great Wasim Akram fresh in his mind.

For a left-armer, there could be no more respected mentor than the former Pakistani fast bowler.

“As a kid, he and Ryan Sidebottom were my two that I looked up to, and luckily I got to talk to him when I was here at the Pakistan Super League in February, so that was pretty cool,” Wood reflected, making a three-for-24 debut in the opening game of seven Twenty20 internationals here.

“We talked about bowling, and he did a little bit in Lancashire earlier this year and we chatted again, so I got some tips from him. He doesn’t tell you how to bowl, he suggests little things to think about, like planning.’

Woods plans at Karachi’s National Stadium on Thursday night are unlikely to change from Tuesday when he bowled with speed and aggression to claim a trio of late victims and help Pakistan narrow to 71 runs from the last 10 overs.

The six-wicket win was special for the 27-year-old, who realized ‘they don’t just hand out England caps for no reason’ as a non-playing member of a one-day tour of the Netherlands midway through. summer.

The 27-year-old bowled with speed and aggression to claim a trio of late victims

Wood launched his international career with words of advice from the great Wasim Akram (above) fresh in memory

Not being first choice is a common theme. Wood was the seventh southpaw paceman to be selected in England T20 squads in 2022, and the days when they were simply used for variety are over. He was one of three along with Sam Curran and David Willey in game one.

“The idea that you can play too many left-armers is a big myth. Teams can play four right-armers, but not four left-armers? I just never understood that,” Wood said.

‘We are all different: all different heights and speeds, all with different characteristics.’

Offense combos may be restricted for the first of two games in 24 hours as Richard Gleeson, one of England’s standby players for next month’s World Cup, was judged last night after hip discomfort kept him to two overs during First Innings of the Pakistan campaign.

Wood, meanwhile, is thankful that Roses rival Harry Brook is an ally here, as he nominated the Yorkshire batter – who hit a dreamy 42 not-out on Tuesday – as his toughest opponent.

“I tell him all the time. He’s a very difficult player to bowl against, right now and in general – red ball cricket, white ball cricket, he’s one of the most talented people I’ve come across,” Wood said.