The fiery English pacer, Mark Wood asserted that they are “dying to get” their hands on the pink ball ahead of the day-night third Test against India. With the four-match series currently leveled at 1-1, the teams will play their first day-night Test against each other in next week’s inaugural match at Ahmedabad’s new Sardar Patel Motera Stadium which has the capacity to accommodate 1,10,000 people.

Day-night Tests have supported the fast bowler more often than not, Wood said England’s seamers had been excited by their early experience with the pink ball. He said, “We’ve been bowling with them in the nets — they have swung quite a bit and they’ve lasted longer, which was interesting to see. With the ball, as soon as it moves, every one of the bowlers from the past couple of months is dying to get it in their hand.”

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England has the bowlers to used the pink-ball conditions well even if Wood, back with the squad after being rested for the first half of the series, does not play. They could deploy both James Anderson and Stuart Broad, apart from Jofra Archer rather than field one or other of England’s two all-time leading wicket-takers as has been the case in recent Tests.

Talking about the same, Mark Wood said, “As soon as the ball moves we know how good our seam bowlers can be. We’ve got good depth there, good skills, and two of the best ever (Anderson and Broad).”

Wood explained why he decided to withdraw himself from Thursday’s Indian Premier League auction. Several fast bowlers landed deals of more than £1 million ($1.4 million) in the Twenty20 franchise tournament. He explained that making time for his family and keeping himself fit in a year where England has a packed schedule were his priorities.

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The fiery pacer explained, “It’s life-changing money, which is why it was such a difficult decision for me. First and foremost it was for my family. I’m going to spend six weeks here in India and it would have been another eight weeks on top of that. The second reason, of course, is being ready for England. I don’t want my body to fail me or be a bit bruised mentally or physically for the back end of the year when it’s the (T20) World Cup and Ashes.”