It has been three years since Chris Woakes used his bat to lead England to victory in a Test match. The majority of his 84 not-out total came in a 139-run partnership with Jos Buttler, which enabled England to win the first of a three-match series against Pakistan by chasing down 277 in the fourth inning.
To suggest that the circumstances of last Sunday at Headingley were far removed would be an understatement, as Woakes’ unbeaten 32 helped England reach its target of 251 to retain the Ashes. The planet itself had undergone significant change.
The COVID-19 epidemic has abruptly and drastically ended life in 2020. In order to uphold their broadcast agreements, the ECB built bio-secure bubbles at Emirates Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl, which ultimately reduced the prospect of losses for English cricket to just over £100 million. The spectators were vacant for Woakes’ first round of fourth-inning heroics since all international and domestic games in the 2020 summer were played behind closed doors.
It seemed to represent the Warwickshire all-rounder’s career in miniature. As consistent a player for England as he has been in all formats, he rarely receives attention, especially when playing with Ben Stokes. However, in Leeds, with Stokes watching from the home balcony after being dismissed for 13, Woakes played a composed innings to win the third Test against Australia by three wickets, to the delight of a boisterous-filled stadium and a peak audience of 2.05 million on Sky Sports.
Chris Woakes remarked, “I don’t think it literally gets any better than that. “I could sense the Western Terrace going crazy with that sound.
It would have been better, in my biased opinion, if I had performed it in front of the Hollies [at Edgbaston]. It’s pretty unique. This is really cool. Stunning emotion. I believe that, compared to being on the sidelines, being out there makes it harder to hear the audience. But it’s just unique. If you could store something away indefinitely and revisit it, you would.
Chris Woakes initially took second place to Harry Brook when he arrived at the crease, with England’s chase on the verge of collapse at 171 for six. Brook was eventually removed after scoring 75. When Woakes hit Mitchell Starc through cover point to score the game-winning boundary, the 34-year-old took the initiative with Mark Wood. The pair finished the job with a stand of 24 runs off just 14 balls.
Chris Woakes believed any part he would play in the climactic scene would be more akin to Jack Leach’s famous 1 not out in Headingley’s 2019 Ashes Test than the epic 135 not out at the other end that Stokes had scripted on that famous day after England had closed the previous evening on 27 for 0 and needed another 224 for victory as the fourth day dawned. How did it feel to imitate the man himself, given that he had a more significant role in the events?
I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about that. Woakes disputed the claim that Stokes’ valorous play was comparable to his knock. “I had a tiny piece of what he had at Headingley last time.
“However, it’s simply great to cross the finish line and defeat Australia. You usually go into these days thinking you’ll cross the finish line, but they are always going to be close, aren’t they? There always seems to be a twist in the story. I thought Brooky and I were coasting when he made an incredible knock to get 75 and play the way he did. But there was always a catch, and I’m simply happy to have succeeded.
Chris Woakes’ debut in this series marked his first appearance since March 2022, which he had also believed might be his last after England’s 1-0 loss to the West Indies, which came after a 4-0 Ashes loss. The path seemed to be coming to an end after only six wickets at 55.30 in Australia and five at 48.80 in the Caribbean. And despite the fact that Stokes, who took over as Test captain at the beginning of the 2022 summer, thinks highly of him, a right knee injury that ultimately necessitated surgery and prevented him from playing during the entire home season appeared to have relegated him to only white-ball cricket.
But over the course of the winter, he would increase his collection of medals by winning the T20 World Cup, nine additional limited-overs matches, and bilateral series. He already had the 50-over World Cup medal from 2019. But his aspirations to play more Test cricket persisted.
Woakes duly disqualified himself from the IPL to practice with Warwickshire in the County Championship, and he appeared to be in line for a homecoming against Ireland until the England management decided to give Worcestershire’s Josh Tongue a chance instead. Although he was healthy enough to play in the first two Ashes Tests as well, he patiently waited and left a lasting impact in just his first appearance. He also grabbed the key wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (twice), Usman Khawaja, and Alex Carey, in addition to scoring runs. His numbers in the first and second innings were three for 73 and three for 68, respectively, and neither included a tailender.
Despite having 45 caps going into this summer, Chris Woakes acknowledged that he occasionally wondered if his time was up.
Actually, it’s extremely emotional, he added. You do, of course, occasionally believe that the ship has sailed. Especially last summer, when I wasn’t a part of the team because of injuries and other issues. You do question if that ship has sailed. However, I took the significant decision not to travel to India at the beginning of the summer, and, you know, days like these make that sort of decision comfortably pay off.
Woakes’ inclusion in the starting XI for the remainder of the series seems obvious given the balance he brings to the team, relieving some of the bowling pressure off Stokes, who is still managing a persistent left knee injury. Woakes also lengthens the batting. With 35 overs in the game at a steady tempo, he demonstrated his durability as well and stepped in to bowl the second inning when Ollie Robinson was unable to.
Woakes will return to Manchester for the first time since that performance in 2020 when the fourth Test starts on July 19. He isn’t planning too far ahead in terms of preserving his spot, but he anticipates that England will arrive with the idea that they can keep up what would be an incredible comeback to win the Ashes. especially given the strain on Australia to avoid losing momentum after leading the third Test 2-0.
The idea that we can win by a score of 3-2 has always been in that locker room, according to Chris Woakes.
“You don’t want to look too far ahead; you have to play the ball, the day, the practice, and the test match as they come. The tougher it must be to achieve something when you’re so near, and I’m sure the Australians are experiencing that right now. It is difficult to cross the line after you are so close to doing something, don’t you think?
“We need to show up in Manchester and put on another show. They are a bloody good team—an incredibly terrific side. To defeat them once more, we must perform at our very best.
India
