NEW DELHI: The hunger to perform was quite visible as England pacer Mark Wood, playing his first Test of the series, came up with a 152kph (94.6mph) delivery that went between bat and pad of Australia's Usman Khawaja before rattling his leg stump on the first day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley in Leeds on Thursday.
The delivery wasn't an odd faster one as Wood started the 13th over of the innings with a 93mph speed and then followed the next four balls with 93, 92, 93 and 91mph speeds before unleashing the final delivery of the over at a speed of 94.6mph which eventually turned out to be the final nail in the coffin.
It was sheer pace from Wood as it knocked over the leg-stump of Khawaja (13). The ball was full and straight with a hint of in-swing, Khawaja got forward to play an on-drive but missed it completely. The ball took a faint inside edge before uprooting the leg-stump and the crowd erupted in a collective roar to celebrate the dismissal.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)Wood knew the worth of Khawaja's wicket as he jumped into the air to express his feelings.
"94.6mph from Mark Wood. The fullest of his deliveries so far today, a hint of swing and it goes straight through Usman Khawaja. Delight for Wood, delight for England," said an elated Eoin Morgan, former England captain, during the commentary.