Mark Wood backed to break new ground and 100mph barrier in Test cricket

• Wood clocked 97.1mph in second Test at Trent Bridge
• Captain Ben Stokes says Wood ‘has got it in the tank’

Ben Stokes has backed Mark Wood to become the first person to be clocked bowling in excess of 100mph in Test cricket, after the Durham paceman’s electrifying performance at Trent Bridge last week saw him hit a top speed of 97.1mph. Wood has also forced West Indies to change their team for the third Test that starts at Edgbaston on Friday, Kevin Sinclair having fractured a forearm in Nottingham trying to fend off a bouncer.

Australia’s Mitchell Starc currently holds the record for the fastest delivery in Test cricket, with a 99.66mph effort against New Zealand in 2015. Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar holds the all-format international record with a ball clocked at 100.2mph against England in 2003.