A not so helpful How-to- Guide on surviving cricket, life and everything in between
By Mark Wood with Vithushan Ehantharajah
Summary
This is a very funny and insightful book… From a one-of-kind England cricketer comes a one-of-a-kind self-help book. The kind no one knew they needed, until now…
Wood: ‘Self-help books have always fascinated ys, I mean, it’s a kind of weird as a concept, right? Here’s what you need to do to be a better person. It’s quite a bog claim to say you’ve got all the right answers to life’s questions. Everyone’s different, everyone has their own lives and what they want to achieve from them. Not everyone likes the same old thing. We’re all unique, and all have different tastes. It’s like what they say about Bovrik or Marmite – you either like it or you’re wrong.’
‘Hallo – I’m Mark Wood, by the way. Probably should have started with that. There’s your firsr lesson: always introduce yourself first.’
‘I don’s claim to have all the answers. I’m still trying to work some of them out myself, to be honest. And writing this book has definitely got me closer to a few of them. The answers I do have are [probably questions you never really thought od=f asking. What does it feel like to bowl over 90 miles an hour? How do you have a great time without alcohol? How do you overcome nerves to give some of the best weeding speeches ever heard in the north-east of England? Why does Joe Root need so many bats? And how do you successfully raise, flog (and later put down) an imaginary horse? Well, you’ve picked up the right book.’
‘Cards on the table, you are likely to get to the end of this book and not learn as much useful at all. Certainly, not much you’ll be able to put into practice. There’s only so much I’m going to be able to teach you. At the very least you might get a few laughs at my expense.'
‘Perhaps this is more of a ‘not-so-helpful self-help book. There really should be more of those.’ Throughout these [ages, important people from my life will drop in to tell you their side of my story. I’ll be honest with you, though: take what some of them say with a pinch of salt.’
‘Anything I’ve missed in this book should be self-explanatory. By the end of this book, you should learn a bit more about me and pick up a few lessons. With that, enjoy, and be welcome to THE WOOD LIFE.’
The author:
Mark Wood is an England and Durham fast bowler. Since making his international debut in 2015, he has represented his country in all three formats of the game – Test, ODI, T20 – enjoying an Ashes win and playing part of England’s first ODI World Cup triumph in 2019, where he bowled the fastest delivery of the tournament. He has become a cult hero among England fans, his vibrant personality endearing him to yong and old alike.