HUW TURBERVILL: Mark Wood is adamant the Vitality Blast remains an exciting tournament and a key focus for Durham, even if the talk in cricket is of the new Hundred competition
Wood is excited about this summer’s Vitality Blast, which begins on July 4, with Durham going to Headingley the following day.
“There’s something quite exciting about the Blast,” he says. “The finals day is quite unbelievable for a player – especially for a team like Durham. We don’t get massive crowds in the Championship and in 50-over stuff but then we’ll play Yorkshire in a T20 and it’s our biggest game and it’s great playing in front of a full house, so I hope that that sort of side of things can continue, whether it’s the Blast or The Hundred.
"The standard of the Blast has been quite good. The Big Bash is the best in terms of families, but I think the cricket is similar. The Blast is just as well marketed.”
Unlike some players, Wood is ready to give The Hundred a chance. “I’m quite open to it. I’ve been to the IPL and seen that and spoken to some big names who are a little bit iffy about the whole concept, but for me I’m open to try something new. Maybe people will jump on it and there are new audiences and it gets people back watching cricket on terrestrial TV.
"I mean everyone frowned upon T20. But over the next couple of years in the Blast there’ll definitely be some people out to impress to be picked for The Hundred, so hopefully that raises the standard. We will have a job persuading Durham fans to go and watch a team in Leeds – Northern Numpties or something like that – as it is a bit of a trek, but I hope they do... especially if I am playing!'”
After Durham’s travails in the Championship in the last couple of years, Wood says the Blast can perk the county’s fans up.
“After a Durham game we often have kids lined up on the pitch and we go out and sign things. In my local club Ashington, we still get plenty of juniors coming for cricket training so I think the interest is there. T20 has more of a connection to younger people because it’s exciting, fun. When I was a kid it was Test cricket, and I remember watching it on TV with my dad at my granddad’s house.
"I still think the interest is there, figures are suggesting it’s dipping a bit but I hope that if we can keep the excitement going around the Blast or any other competition, hopefully it will be easily accessible, it will be promoted well through the media and our professionalism, and hopefully it will inspire kids to be the next Jos Buttler, Joe Root and people like that.”
Wood has vivid memories of his electrifying spell of 4 for 25 on final days against Yorkshire in 2016.
“Durham were massive underdogs. Yorkshire had all their England players back and it gave us a lift to think that these are our local rivals, and we gave them a bit of a kick in the arse.
"That was a good day for me; when I talk to people they’re always like, ‘I remember that spell you bowled at Joe Root’ but they forget that I didn’t get him out! I think that got me back in the England one-day set-up after I’d had yet more ankle trouble, so to do well really pushed my case and it’s a memory that I’ve always got.
"I remember we sat in the dressing room with Durham and we were saying ‘this is pretty good this final, imagine if we won it’ [they lost to Northants]. But we were still buzzing to be there and if we could go out and win it as Durham I think it would have been the biggest party anyone’s ever seen.
“That put me into the one-day series against Pakistan where I actually bowled the fastest ball I’ve ever bowled (95.1), so that sort of blast at the finals day and that little period built me up nicely for the summer.
“I think it’s a tough one for Durham because we almost need time to rebuild. We’ve lost so many good local players, you’re sort of trying to rebuild and because of what’s happened some players aspire to go onto bigger and better things then you’re almost rebuilding the squad again and again every game. I think in the T20 format, anyone can beat anyone.
"I think it proves even on finals day Yorkshire, with all the best players and the England players there, we still managed to beat them. As long as we’ve got that togetherness as a squad… I mean we’ve always had that with Durham because of where we are, we’re two and a half hours away from anyone else ,and that sort of culture and pride of the North-east that we bang on about and the team song, everything about us is sort of geared to the North-east, so I think as long as we have that togetherness and unity then we can knock some big dogs over and go well in the competition.”
If Durham don’t win the Vitality Blast, who will?
“There are some good teams. I don’t know if I can pick someone from the north! Notts are always strong. I think I’d keep with a southern side, though. Somerset – the pride of the South-west. They have a small ground so they get big scores, and could go to the finals day with loads of confidence.
"The pitches are so good for one-day cricket, they all play a natural free way which is quite dangerous, and if it comes off it’s not just a big score, it’s a huge score. They could be dangerous. Notts and Yorkshire also have star-studded line-ups. Northants are a team that pride themselves on the shorter format.”
Mark Wood was speaking at the launch of the Vitality IT20 – starting with England v Australia at Edgbaston on June 27. Vitality offers health insurance, life insurance & investments www.vitality.co.uk