Wood hopes his luck holds after Williamson run out

LONDON: England fast bowler Mark Wood hopes his World Cup luck holds after his fortunate run out of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson helped take the hosts into the semi-finals.

England thrashed the Black Caps by 119 runs at Durham quick Wood´s home ground of Chester-le-Street after posting 305-8 batting first.

Jonny Bairstow was named man-of-the-match for his second successive hundred, but Wood also played his part, taking 3-34 and delivering a significant contribution that was something of a fluke.

When Ross Taylor struck a drive down the ground, Wood just managed to get fingertips to the ball and divert it onto the non-striker´s stumps, leaving star batsman Williamson -- who had been averaging 113.50 for the tournament prior to this match -- run out for 27.

"He doesn´t know how unlucky he is because I´ve got the smallest hands for a bloke you´ve ever seen," said a grinning Wood.

"I managed to just get a fingertip to it. The umpire wasn´t sure if I´d tipped it, and I said ´I swear to God I did´. I knew it had flicked the end of my finger.

"He was one of the best players I´ve ever bowled at so to get him out any way you can is pretty important. It saved me bowling at him any more so I was pretty pleased.

"In big games, in big moments, you need those moments. I´m just pleased that in such a big game I managed to be so lucky."

Meanwhile Williamson, asked about his freakish dismissal, said: "Is it luck or lack of it? It is one of those things.

"The English bowlers put us under pressure and I don´t know whether that run-out came from that, but you move on."