Mark Wood was delighted after England surged to a 169-run victory over Australia in the opening Ashes Test in Cardiff.
Captain Alastair Cook could do little wrong as bowling changes continually paid off and the tourists were all out for 242 late on day four in pursuit of an all-time Ashes record 412.
Stuart Broad (three for 39) provided the most telling individual impetus, and for good measure Cook played his own part in two juggling-act Australia dismissals to ensure England prevailed as expected despite an admirable 77 down the order from Mitchell Johnson and a half-century from opener David Warner.
England 1 Australia 0 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/aF9ckXIVzt
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 11, 2015
Durham bowler Wood told Sky Sports: “(It is) Fantastic! Obviously, all the build-up before the game and stuff and to get one-nil up in the series after one game is fantastic.
“The crowd in here were immense in the end and I think the bowling performance from our lads was fantastic and I think we put the pressure on Australia and hopefully they didn’t sort of expect that.
“I think we bowled to our strengths on this pitch and we’ve come away with a win. The final act was Joe Root with a safe catch when Josh Hazlewood hit Moeen Ali to him at long-off. It was fitting therefore that after providing the bulk of England’s runs with his first-innings hundred and then 60 second time round, Cook’s deputy should hog the victory lap as well.
Wood added: “(It was) class, world class! The atmosphere – I thought today has been fantastic. At the end they were all singing ‘if you’re one-nil up stand up’ and I tried so hard to keep my professional face on and not laugh.
“There was a fantastic atmosphere and great support as well.”
England captain Cook thanked the crowd in Cardiff for their loyal support and praised Root for his performance.
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He said: “Brilliant performance and just while we mention the crowd, over the four days they have been absolutely fantastic and the support the have shown the whole team – coming to the ground and singing when it was getting a little flat – and I think English cricket this summer really appreciates the support we’ve got.
“This Test match couldn’t have gone any better so we’re going to enjoy tonight, enjoy the success and I thought Joe Root played – to score 130 on the first day of an Ashes series when the tension’s there – was fantastic. “And the bowlers were superb on a pretty slow wicket.”
Cook reserved some praise for Stuart Broad and James Anderson, adding: “We’ve got an experienced four or five guys and any experience in terms of Ashes cricket and the enthusiasm is there.
“Today we could have had three or four down early on. We knew the chances would come. They’re great bowlers. You don’t have records like that without them being great bowlers. It’s a pleasure to captain them.”
Man of the match Root, who celebrated his seventh Test century during the match, was pleased with the result in the Ashes opener and was delighted to contribute with his 134 first-innings total, also claiming two wickets and two catches over the four days.
He said: “I was nice to pick up a couple of wickets. I’m just really thrilled to be a part of this win. They guys have played well all week and as a team I thought we performed exceptionally well.
“First up in an Ashes series you want to make sure you put a marker down and we really wanted to get off to a good start and it’s good to get that win ahead of the rest of the series and hopefully we can now back that up at Lord’s.”
Australia captain Michael Clarke was obviously disappointed with the defeat and was looking towards the second Test at Lord’s which starts on Thursday.
He was quick to praise their opponents following the result, saying: “To cut a long story short I think we were outplayed in all facets of the game.
“England’s batting in the first innings, their bowling throughout the whole game and their catching was exceptional. We’ve got some work to do before the second Test.
“England deserve all the credit….credit to them and we’ve got time to prepare for the second Test match.”
Regarding bowler Mitchell Starc who was limping during the match, Clarke was hopeful he could be fit for the second Test, adding: “He walked out and batted which is a positive he was still able to bowl and took a couple of wickets in the second innings so hopefully he’ll be fit and available for selection for the second Test.”
