A fine line for success, says Woakes

Chris Woakes knows he can play each ODI with the potential of being hero or zero.

The England quick bowler couldn’t stop New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner from winning the opening match of the five-game one-day series in Hamilton on Sunday.

Handed the ball for the last over as his side’s specialist death bowler, Woakes produced an excellent yorker first-up that Santner clamped down and inside-edged for four.

A wide followed before Santner dispatched a half-volley for six to give the Black Caps a three-wicket win with four balls remaining.

‘‘There’s been times when you come through it and you bowl that last over and you’re the hero ... and there’s times when it’s going to go against you,’’ Woakes said.

‘‘The first two balls are crucial. I wouldn’t have tried to place it anywhere differently the first ball of that last over unfortunately it goes for four.

‘‘I talked to Morgs [captain Eoin Morgan] at the end of my run-up - ‘do we take a risk, bring the field up?’. I think the plan was to get try and Santner off strike and bowl to Southee.

‘‘Unfortunately I got my execution wrong, it went for six and the game’s over.’’

Woakes said he tries to draw on past successes when under the spotlight.

‘‘You try and put yourself in that mental state where you know you’ve been there before and come out on top; when you’ve got your execution spot on.

‘‘You do need a little bit of luck - had that first ball been dug out for a single or a dot, it completely changes the outcome of the whole over.’’

The 28-year-old said ahead of tonight’s second ODI against the Black Caps at Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval that double figures as a target for the batsmen would be a preference for bowlers given last-over duties.

‘‘It’s always nice - to give you that one bad ball or that ball that is nicked for four.’’