Mark Wood of England (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) England fast bowler Mark Wood has shared a remarkable and funny story from his time in the Indian Premier League, revealing how the franchise owner once offered to fly him on a private jet just to make sure he played a match – despite being seriously ill.On the BBC’s Strategic Timeout podcast, Wood recalled falling ill mid-season after appearing in a few games. What followed, he said, was an extraordinary level of attention from the franchise, including constant medical monitoring.“I wasn’t feeling very well after about five games and the (next) game was about three days away. The doctor would come back every half hour and come into my room and check my vitals,” Wood said.The situation soon took an unusual turn when the team owner personally reached out to check on his availability.“I remember one day the owner rang me: ‘How are you? Are you ready to go?’ and I said, ‘Honestly, I haven’t eaten or drunk anything, I still can’t get out of bed.’ He said, ‘We’ll get you another doctor, we’ll do this and that,'” he revealed.‘I’ll send a private plane’Despite Wood’s condition, the owner remained determined to appear in the game – so much so that he offered an interesting solution.“The next day it’s the owner again: ‘How are you feeling?’ and I said, ‘Honestly, I’m still not good’. Then he said, ‘I’ll send a private plane, you get on the plane and play the game. Then I’ll take the plane and get you back to your bed,” Wood said, laughing at the memory.The England pacer admitted he was briefly tempted by the surreal offer and even asked his father for advice.“So I called my dad and I was like, Dad, they’re going to send a private plane. He said, “Yeah, but how are you feeling?” I said, ‘Honestly, when I get up, I don’t feel well… I might pass out’. He said, ‘You’re wrong’. But I was like, ‘Dad, it’s a private jet’ (laughs),” added Wood.In the end he decided not to play, but not before appreciating the sheer novelty of the situation.“For that split second, I was like, ‘This is probably the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. This is unbelievable,'” he said.Wood has had a brief IPL career playing for Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, taking 11 wickets in five games.
