As England have taken a 2-1 lead over arguably their closest challengers for the T20 World Cup crown, there have been plenty of performances to cheer about. Jos Buttler’s controlled destruction of the top of the order was a joy to watch, Jason Roy has rediscovered some form, while Adil Rashid’s work in the Powerplay has somehow made one of England’s key bowlers an even more versatile and effective operator. Defeat in the second T20I has kept a lid on any overconfidence, but England have made important, if subtle, improvements throughout the side.

However, one aspect of England’s play has been anything other than subtle. For two games running in Ahmedabad, faced with some of the most impressive T20 batsmen in the world, Mark Wood has been breathing fire.

The raw numbers tell a certain amount of the story. Four wickets in 48 balls, with an economy of just 6.4rpo, is impressive work on the scorecard, but it’s been the way in which he’s taken those wickets which has caught the eye – and more bluntly, the pace at which he’s done it. Wood’s average speeds in the last two matches – 147kph and 145kph – are two of the four quickest ever T20I performances for England. Over the course of a long weekend, he’s stolen the record books and scrawled his name all over them.

England are keen to adapt their plans to the opposition and surfaces with which they are confronted – their determination to bowl nothing but short balls to Hardik Pandya shows this quite clearly – but Wood may need a more consistent method in order to perform at his best. The use of an effective slower ball, something which has been a very small feature of his death bowling, might make him a touch more effective in this later phase. England’s sparing use of Wood in the final stages of the innings insists that it’s not a big issue in isolation, but just one worth following.

Wood’s had an odd career, in some ways. He’s won an Ashes series, and taken the wicket to secure it; he’s won a World Cup, as a crucial cog in England’s attack; he’s developed a public persona which has resonated with England fans, and made him one of the most universally loved members of the national side.

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He has already achieved more than the vast majority of professional cricketers could dream of. And yet, this year will be the one which decides Wood’s legacy.

His exploits in South Africa and the Carribean across the last two winters are the stuff of legend, but for English fans Australia is still the dream. His white ball strength is no purple patch, and he can look forward to the lucrative offerings of domestic T20 leagues very shortly, but leading England to a second white ball title in two years would cement him as one of England’s finest bowlers. It is hard to overstate Wood’s importance to winning the Ashes, and the World Cup, but also the importance those matches will have in shaping the reputation Wood leaves behind once he’s gone.

This return to the side followed a match off, after he’d pulled up sore following his four overs on Friday night. Before that, well-documented injuries and rehab have limited Wood’s time on the field. It’s to be expected – with reasonable certainty, we can say Wood is the fastest bowler England have ever produced. There haven’t been many, ever, who have bowled quicker than Wood for any period of time. The strain on his body is obscene, because what he’s producing is almost unprecedented.

An issue with the rotation policy which has dominated conversation of late, is that it’s hard to get behind a plan which, by its very nature, takes cricketers away from view. Deep down, no England fan can find it easy to support a policy which deprives them of watching Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer. But the ECB and the staff involved in making these decisions need to borrow some Don Draper wisdom – if you don’t like what’s being said about you, change the conversation. Because the flipside is that what the rotation policy does allow you to see, is Wood in full-flight, fully fit and raring to go. All being well, it should allow you to see that in a World Cup, and an Ashes series.

Because until those matches, Wood should be doing…not a lot at all. Some matches in the The Hundred to keep the machine running smoothly, select games for Durham, the odd ODI appearance as England rotate through their catalogue of seamers, but the temptation to pick him in the Test side – in home conditions – should be ignored. England are well stacked for swing and seam options, and the emergence of Olly Stone gives them the opportunity for some 90mph muscle without compromising Wood’s fitness. The risk associated with Wood playing Test cricket before the Ashes, and breaking down, is simply too great – because the reward of England getting him at his best, for a career-defining six months, is perhaps even greater.