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Mark Wood's Cricket World Cup final: Washing machines, worry and feeling sick

Watch England's World Cup Win: Through their Eyes on Boxing Day on Sky Sports Cricket as the players remember a Lord's epic...

Mark Wood
Image: Mark Wood reveals why he watched a section of the Cricket World Cup final sat on a washing machine!

Most people watched the Cricket World Cup final on the edge of their seat - but England seamer Mark Wood went one better.

"I am a terrible watcher, I can't sit in the same place and the only place I could find somewhere where it was all right to sit, was the washing machine in the laundry room at Lord's," Wood recounts, as part of our special Boxing Day show, England's World Cup Win: Through their Eyes.

"There was a little TV in the dressing room attendant's office. Jos [Buttler] and Stokesy [Ben Stokes] were in, we had a little bit of a partnership going and we got that partnership because I was sat on the washing machine!

"I watched 20 or 30 overs of a World Cup final [makes washing machine sounds] as I just couldn't move! As much as people are like 'the end of the World Cup was epic', those 20 or 30 overs I absolutely hated.

"I felt sick, I couldn't sit still. I did not enjoy that one little bit. No wonder I didn't run fast [out in the middle] - I was that shook up off the washing machine!"

The World Cup Through Their Eyes

The World Cup Through Their Eyes

Listen to Wood's emotional recollection of the Lord's classic against New Zealand - which England won on boundary countback after the sides had tied after their regulation 50 overs and a Super Over - by playing the podcast above or by downloading here.

You can also read highlights below as he talks feeling sick, singing along with the Barmy Army, and the moment England became world champions…

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On feeling he would vomit as his time to bat edged closer…

"When Woakesy [Chris Woakes] got out I had to go back into the dressing room and get my kit on. I was that nervous I put all my kit on. Jase [Jason Roy] was like, 'what are you doing?' I said, 'mate, I just want to be ready, I don't want to be rushed'.

"I couldn't stand still. The masseur, Mark Saxby, was trying to calm us down, telling jokes and stuff like that, but I have never felt that sick playing cricket. Lord's is right prim and proper and posh and they have got this marble sink basin and two or three times, I thought, 'I'm going to spew in this sink here!'

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Mark Wood says he became so nervous during the Cricket World Cup final that he thought he would throw up.

"But I had to watch. I now couldn't not watch. I've got to switch on, I've got to see what the bowlers are doing. Are they bowling slower balls? Are they bowling yorkers? Are they bowling bouncers? What's my job going to be? Who's going to be with us? Is it going to be Stokesy or a Rash [Adil Rashid] or a Pudsey [Liam Plunkett]?

"Then we get to the last over. Jos, who is so calm normally, is punching the physio bed. I have never seen him like this ever. He was so frustrated he got out and felt like he'd messed it up. Down on his haunches, swearing and shouting. He is never like that, so it tells you what the World Cup was like.

"Joe Root was in his corner but slouched, looking between balls and then slouching back down. He could hardly watch and even Jofra [Archer], who normally sleeps - he could sleep on a washing line - looked a bit nervous."

On Ben Stokes' brilliance in the final over and the ball deflecting off his bat for six runs…

"Throughout the whole day, I'm thinking, 'we've won, we've lost, we've won, we've lost, we've won, we've lost'. At this point [with 15 runs needed from five balls] I'm thinking 'we've lost it. This is it. We're gone'.

Ben Stokes, Cricket World Cup final
Image: Ben Stokes slog-swept Trent Boult for six in the final over of England's innings

"Then Stokesy belts an unbelievable slog sweep off a seam bowler [Trent Boult] - can you imagine facing 85pmh and slog-sweeping him for six? Who does that? In a World Cup final?! Unbelievable!

"Then the famous ball hits his bat and goes for six. Normally what happens is it is meant to be the gentlemanly cricket thing of not clapping but, I can tell you, our dressing room absolutely erupted. Jason Roy threw these nuts and dried fruit, it went everywhere. Someone was shouting, 'come on you ginger ninja'. The whole dressing room literally erupted.

"It was like we were now back to winning. Everybody believes. Everybody is up for it. I now feel less sick and the only thing in my head is that if Stokesy gets out I am going to be on strike.

"Where am I going to hit it? Where am I going to hit the winning runs? I looked at third man and thought 'he's a bit wide. If I nick it, I might get it there!'

On 'not having a clue' what he has doing when he went out to bat for the final ball of England's innings…

"I remember the ball before Morgy [England captain Eoin Morgan] said, 'do you know what you're doing if you get in?' I went 'yep'. I can honestly sit here now and say I didn't have a clue. There were a million things going through my head. I just said yes to the captain. Morgy, if you're listening, sorry, I didn't have a clue what I was going to do!

"I thought 'if I run down the steps and run onto the field my muscles will be warm for sprinting as I haven't got to bat. I've just got to run'. It was like I was going to war, to battle - it was mint! I thought, 'what am I going to say to Stokesy?' I got there and said, 'I'm just going to run' and I can honestly say he didn't listen to a word I said. His eyes were glazed over.

"He hit it to long-on and I put in the worst dive of my career. My side is already torn and is now feeling like it is going to drop off. I know I am out by an absolute mile and that we're going to go to a Super Over. Stokesy was frustrated and booted his bat 20 yards but in hindsight I think it was a brilliant thing to do.

Ben Stokes kicks bat in Cricket World Cup final
Image: Stokes kicked his bat in frustration after the scores were tied after 50 overs

"People have said to us a hundred times over 'why didn't he smack that one for six?' But he said to me that he'd watched a Bangladesh game a couple of years ago where they needed one to win or something and the lad had hit a full toss and got caught. He thought 'there is a gap between midwicket and long-on and if I can hit that gap we will get two and that's where we will win. If not, we'll definitely get one'.

"I was now thinking of that Mankad thing and told myself 'don't set off too early'. I was making sure my bat was definitely in the crease. Now I think, 'Why was I thinking this stuff!?' All I had to do was just run.

"I had my chest guard on, my arm guard on, full pads. I didn't need any of that. All I needed was my pads, helmet, gloves and bat. Why did I wear everything? It slowed us down! I Had all my friends in Ashington texting me after the match that the Titanic turns quicker!"

On the final ball of the Super Over as Martin Guptill hit Jofra Archer to Jason Roy in the deep with New Zealand needing to complete a two to win…

"Jase had mis-fielded one, thrown one to the wrong end. I think Mo [Moeen Ali] said something like, 'as long as it doesn't go to Jason!' It was a great ball from Jof to Guptill, he didn't give him room to free his arms and Guptill cramped it straight to Jase. As the throw was on its way in, it was like time stopped still

"I almost knew what was going to happen. Then when Jos hit the stumps you are a kid in the playground, a kid at the top of a hill and you run down the hill and your legs are going so fast you can't feel your body moving. It's like your legs have taken over.

"I am sprinting towards Jos, who high fives us as he comes past. You can't hear anything. Plunkett, our biggest guy, muscly, massive, is in floods of tears. Stokes is lying down on the other side of the field. Jofra is crawling on the field.

"I managed to break off and jump towards the crowd. I turned round and Woakes picks me up and carries me five yards. I don't even know what we were saying to each other.

"I feel bad about this now but I didn't think about New Zealand once. You are so in the moment with your own team that you forget how upset they must be and how harsh it is on them. What do you go over and say? Hard lines? That doesn't really do it justice.

New Zealand contemplate their World Cup final defeat to England
Image: New Zealand lost the Cricket World Cup final 'by the barest of margins'

"Our dressing was literally flying. I can't even remember what was being said. You didn't want to stand still, you didn't want to stop hugging people - backroom staff, the people that have helped you through injury and helped everyone's journey for four years.

"Blokes I thought were the toughest blokes were in floods of tears. It was just mad. If I could bottle a feeling up it would be the 10 seconds of Morgy lifting the trophy when we were all together. It was absolutely class."

Also on the podcast, Wood explains...

  • Why he was too fired up for his opening spell with the ball
  • Why he always stood between Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root during the national anthem
  • On singing the song the Barmy Army made up for him as he prepared to bowl
  • Why he thought New Zealand were favourites halfway through the final
  • What he told umpire Aleem Dar before the Super Over started

Hear from Wood and the rest of England's victorious World Cup squad in England's World Cup Win: Through their Eyes, at 6pm and 11pm on Boxing Day on Sky Sports Cricket.

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