England fast bowler Mark Wood has shared a remarkable and humorous story from his time in the Indian Premier League, telling how a team owner offered to fly him on a private jet just to ensure he played – despite being seriously unwell.Speaking on the BBC’s Strategic Pause podcast, Wood recalled the experience of falling ill midway through a season after playing just a few games. With that comes a heightened level of concern from the team, including ongoing medical monitoring, he said.“After about five games, I wasn’t doing too well and the (next) game was about three days later. Every half hour the doctor would come back and come to my room and check my vitals,” Wood said.The situation quickly took an unusual turn when the team owner personally came to ask if he was available.“I remember the owner called me one day and said, ‘How are you feeling? Are you ready?’ and I said, ‘Honestly, I haven’t eaten anything, I haven’t drank anything, I still can’t get out of bed.’ He said, ‘We’ll find you another doctor, we’ll do this and that,'” he revealed.“I’ll send a private jet”Despite Wood’s poor fitness, the boss was still determined to keep him playing – so much so that he offered an eye-popping solution.“The next day, the owner came back, ‘How are you feeling?’ and I said, ‘Honestly, I’m still not okay.’ And he said, ‘I’m going to send a private jet, you get on the plane, play the game. And then I’m going to fly the plane right back and put you right back at your bedside.'” Wood recalled the experience with a laugh.The England pacer admitted he was tempted by the surreal proposal at one point and even sought advice from his father.“So I called my dad and I said, ‘Dad, they’re going to send a private plane.’ He said, “Yeah, but how do you feel?” I said, “Honestly, if I stood up, I wouldn’t feel good…I might pass out”. He said, ‘You’re not right’. But I was like, ‘Dad, this is a private jet’ (laughs),” Wood added.Ultimately, he decided not to compete, but not before realizing the sheer novelty of the situation.“In that moment, I thought, ‘This is probably the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. This is unbelievable,'” he said.Wood had a brief IPL career and represented chennai super kings and Lucknow Supergiants, taking 11 wickets in five games.
