England miss Ben Stokes, but they will miss Mark Wood more: Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan and Mark Wood. (Source – Twitter/X)

Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan recently came forward and opined that England will be missing the services of ace pacer Mark Wood for their next two Tests against Sri Lanka. He revealed that Wood brings some attributes to the table that other players cannot.

It is worth noting that after bowling 10 overs against Sri Lanka in the second innings, he went off the field after sustaining a thigh injury. His injury saw him miss the fourth day of play.

Despite his absence, England managed to overpower Sri Lanka and register a dominant five-wicket win. However, Vaughan opined that Wood missing the last two Tests could cause The Three Lions in failing to roar for the remainder of the series.

“Mark Wood is the key; look at all the England side, even Ben Stokes now. Ben Stokes is a talisman, an incredible cricketer, England miss but they will miss Wood even more because there is no one who can bowl 95 miles an hour,” Michael Vaughan told the BBC Match special.

“Mark Wood is becoming quite quickly the most important member of this team because he brings something that they haven’t got anyone that can bring. Even Jofra Archer can’t bowl this pace. He (Wood) is bowling 95 to 97 miles an hour,” he added.

He might not be seen again this summer: Vaughan

Furthermore, Vaughan opined that England missed out on the services of Wood on Day 4 of the clash against Sri Lanka as the pitch was very flat. He also stated that there is a possibility that Wood does not play all summer.

“We saw it this morning when the pitch was flat, there wasn’t a great deal there for the spin, there was no lateral movement, they were crying out for Mark Wood. He is not going to play at Lords. He might not be seen again this summer,” he said.