‘It’s really frustrating’ – Chris Woakes unhappy as close umpiring calls have not gone England’s way in Edgbaston Test

On Day 1 of the second Test in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, Chris Woakes expressed his anger with some close umpiring calls that went against England. The high-voltage duel began on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston in Birmingham, with England leading the five-match series 1-0. India concluded the day on 310/5 after Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to field first.

Woakes was not at his best in the first Test, which was fair given that he was returning to the format after an ankle injury earlier this year. However, he recovered well in the second Test, bowling a probing spell in the opening session. The 36-year-old dismissed the in-form KL Rahul in the eighth over of the day. However, he could have taken two more wickets in the first session, but he failed to get the rub of the green.

Yashasvi Jaiswal escaped an LBW appeal after the umpire determined that the ball merely clipped the top of the off-stump. Shortly later, Karun Nair survived an LBW cry after getting smacked on the pads with no shot. While Yashasvi scored a ferocious 87, Nair provided a useful 31.

“Well yes, it’s really frustrating. These are choices that can go your way, but this is the game we play, and we move on,” Woakes remarked at a press conference following the day’s action.

There’s enough in it if you hit the right areas: Chris Woakes

Woakes finished Day 1 with excellent figures of 2/59 in 21 overs. He picked up the wicket of Nitish Kumar Reddy in the final session. Woakes said that there is enough assistance for the bowlers if they bowl in the right areas. He opined that England will stand in good stead if they break the overnight partnership between Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja early on Day 2.

“It’s still a good pitch. There’s enough in it if you hit the right areas. We’ve got wickets at regular intervals. If we can break this stand early tomorrow, we’re still in the game,” Woakes said.

Woakes also praised Indian captain Shubman’s knock on Day 1, as the Punjab batter scored 114 runs off 216 balls, showing phenomenal grit and determination.