Luke Wood determined to enjoy his latest spell with England

Luke Wood is determined to enjoy his latest life England And he hopes that having a specific role means he is more likely to retain a white-ball spot.

A left-arm swing bowler with good pace, Wood earned seven England caps between September 2022 and September 2023, but he missed out. Sam Curran, david wiley And Tymal Mills in pecking order.

Wood remained out of contention until he was recalled to the T20 squad in June and has since played eight of the nine matches, although England rarely had all their fast bowlers available.

Where does he fit in when everyone else is fit and firing is not uppermost on Wood’s mind, even if the 30-year-old now feels more part of the team unit, presenting a greater threat, especially with the new ball.

“Since coming back, I probably feel like I have a more defined role than I did last time,” Wood said. “Where I sit in the order, I can’t tell you.

“It was tough when I was out of the team. Because I’m not necessarily the youngest player, a part of me felt the opportunity was gone but there’s always a ray of hope in the back of your mind.

“Being a left-arm bowler, you never feel out of it. But when the call came this summer it was probably a bit more of a surprise. Since then, I’ve tried to treat it differently than last time.

“Last time I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well, whereas this time I am trying to enjoy it.”

Wood was ever-present in England’s rain-affected T20 series win in New Zealand jofra archer A notable absence as he prepares himself for the Ashes starting next month.

Wood is hopeful he has done enough to retain a place in his squad for January’s tour of Sri Lanka and then the T20 World Cup starting next month, but added: “I would never say you are guaranteed.”

For now, Wood is looking to play his first ODI in almost two years when England take on the Black Caps in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, a possibility boosted by Archer’s absence from the series opener.

Having played in all five seasons of The Hundred, Wood has been restricted to just six career List A matches, while he has not played first-class cricket in two years.

Wood, who has played in several T20 franchise leagues around the world including the Indian Premier League last year, said: “I am not retired like this (from red-ball cricket).

“But it’s hard to fit everything that’s going on around the world and then into a summer schedule. I’m 30 now so something’s got to give at some point.

“My white-ball cricket is probably way ahead of my red-ball cricket, so it’s taking a back seat at the moment.”