MARK WOOD has pace to burn when it comes to bowling for England – and former international Chris Tremlett is convinced he can be their not-so-secret Cricket World Cup weapon.

Injuries have threatened to derail the Durham paceman’s rise over recent seasons, struggling to get a run of fixtures together in either red- or white-ball cricket.

But with his run-up adjusted and 90mph rockets still being fired down, suddenly the fear-factor over one of England’s brightest prospects is back.

That was clear for all to see in the recent Test series in the West Indies – with Tremlett desperate to see England make the most of the quick’s 50-over capabilities.

“We don’t have guys like Mark who come around too often, guys in this country who can bowl genuine pace,” said Tremlett, speaking in Southampton on the latest leg of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour.

“We get brought up with the Dukes ball, bowling quickly when they’re younger and then dropping their pace and learning to swing the ball.

“We lose a lot of speed in comparison to swing, but Mark is a really talented tearaway on his day.

“That innings in the Test match where he was bowling towards 95mph, that was fantastic to watch and we’re seeing him do the same in the one-day internationals as well.

“Guys like him can bowl genuinely fast, putting the fear through the tail enders – he’s a terrific guy to have in your team, the challenge is then keeping him fit.

“You’ve always got that wicket-taking option with someone like Mark, when pitches are a little bit dead your 82-85mph can be a little ineffective, but having someone who can churn in 90+ makes a big difference.

“Even the guys at the top of the order can find it difficult, let alone your tail enders. He’s the type of guy who can blow players away.”

Drawing comparison to speed demons of old such as Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee shouldn’t be taken lightly, but it’s a label Wood was granted following his latest 90mph blitz.

A switch to out-and-out pace would likely see England move away from a tried-and-tested method that has seen Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, David Willey and Liam Plunkett lead the seam attack.

Throw in Jofra Archer, Tom Curran and the spin-twins of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, and suddenly England have a bowling attack to rival the best in the world.

The batting is far from shabby either and, with Wood’s pace potentially the final piece of the puzzle, history could easily be made on home soil in the eyes of Tremlett.

“Even the guys at the top of the order can find it difficult, let alone your tail enders. Mark is the type of guy who can blow players away,” added the 12-Test bowler.

“As a whole squad, they’ve got all bases covered – they’ve got destructive players at the top of the order, top all-rounders, leg-spin, off-spin – you’ve got David Willey for the left-arm option, Liam Plunkett for some height – a bit of everything.

“England have been working on this for the past four years, getting a squad which they’re comfortable with and have been performing well consistently.

“Some guys have got injured along the way but they’ve stuck with the core group of players – England have worked towards this.”

ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, commences 100-day tour of England and Wales and will be at over 100 locations and events before arriving back in London ready for the opening match on May 30