Wood becomes more important player than Stokes on flat pitches: Vaughan

NEW DELHI: Former England captain Michael Vaughan emphasized the significance of Mark Wood's role in the team, particularly on pitches that offer little assistance to bowlers. Vaughan asserted that in such conditions, Wood's presence becomes even more vital than that of Ben Stokes.
The ex-skipper expressed his concern over Wood's unavailability for the remaining two Tests against Sri Lanka, considering it a significant setback for the English side.
Wood sustained an injury to his right thigh muscle during the first match of the series at Old Trafford, which England eventually won by five wickets on Saturday.
The pacer had to leave the field after delivering just two balls in his 11th over during Sri Lanka's second innings on the third day and was unable to bowl on the fourth day.
"When you get on a flat pitch, Mark Wood is the most important player for England's Test match team. Yes, even more than Ben Stokes. Wood is that good – and his injury that rules him out of the rest of the series against Sri Lanka is a blow."
"Stokes is a colossus. Talismanic, an incredible leader, a brilliant player. But I just can't see how England can replace Wood. He's just got something very special about him," wrote Vaughan in his column for The Telegraph, as quoted by IANS.
He also pointed to Sri Lanka's second innings on day four as an example of England feeling the absence of Wood. Without Wood available to bowl, Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal batted through the morning session, setting a target of 205 for England, which they successfully chased down with five wickets in hand.
"How much England miss him was evident on the fourth morning with that fantastic partnership from Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis when the pitch got flat and it became much easier for batting. We might get a lot of those conditions in the next year or so – definitely in Pakistan, and maybe a bit in New Zealand too. England need to find a way to take 20 wickets on wickets like that."
Vaughan went on to explain what sets Wood apart from other England fast bowlers. "The point of difference that Wood brings is so important. England have got to wrap him in cotton wool to try and get him available for 60 or 70 per cent of Tests in the next year. Realistically, having Wood available that much would be a great outcome for England. A bowler like him is never going to be able to play every single game."
"Wood is now the most important cog in this England Test match wheel for them to go and beat India, for them to go and win in Australia. He's the player that opponents would most like to see not in the England side."
"Even Jofra Archer, who is fantastic, doesn't bowl 95mph. This is a guy that is doing something that we've never seen in English cricket. There's not many around the world that bowled at Wood's pace with that amount of ferocity. Every time he's come on to bowl this summer, he's made something happen."
"He is not only obviously brilliant for the team, he's brilliant for the game. We used to talk about Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Stokes, how they'd get spectators out the bar to go and watch. Well, get out of the bar and make sure you're there watching Mark Wood. He is that bowler. A bowler like that doesn't just give a team a great point of difference. It also sends a shudder to the opponents' dressing room," he concluded.