Woakes in Ashes hot seat

TIME TO STEP IT UP SAYS ROOT

CHRIS WOAKES’ return to the England side has allowed Joe Root to slot in another piece of his Ashes jigsaw.

And the England skipper has a simple message for three other players trying to stake their claim against West Indies in the second Investec Test at Headingley.

Batsmen Tom Westley, Dawid Malan and Mark Stoneman have all shown promise but have yet to convince.

“The only message for those guys is to go out there and take this opportunity,” said Root.

“It’s another week of hard Test cricket, where the guys are all under different pressure wherever they bat.

“If they want to nail down those spots, they have to deal with that. If they get in, make it count.”

The Windies were thumped by an innings and 209 runs inside ® three days in the first Test but Root added: “They’ll come out hard at us. No one likes being beaten badly and they’ll want to prove a point.”

Windies skipper Jason Holder said: “We can’t control what people have said or thought about us. We’ve got to control the cricket, take ownership individually and collectively.”

Woakes has been missing since pulling a muscle in his side against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy in June.

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But England were keen to get the Warwickshire man back in their side. Root, who admitted that RolandJones was disappointed to miss out, said: “Woakesy has been phenomenal for us and would have been in the team straight away.

“But it is great to see guys taking chances and giving the selectors some headaches.”