That’s all Woakes!
BRILLIANT CHRIS AND JOS SEAL AMAZING RUN CHASE
CHRIS WOAKES and Jos Buttler ripped victory out of the hands of Pakistan with the greatest comeback partnership since, well... Headingley last summer!
The two all-rounders let their batting brilliance shine as England hunted down a target of 277 to win by three wickets and back up Woakes’ Friday night belief that they could follow in the footsteps of last year’s miracle chase.
In many ways this was a better effort than that remarkable day when Ben Stokes (right) carried his team over the line, because this was a team finish under pressure.
Woakes and wicket- keeper Buttler came together at 117-5 with 160 still needed on a pitch that was helping the bowlers far more than the batsmen, and by the time Buttler departed for 75 there was just 21 more required.
They soaked up the pressure, turned down the volume on the Pakistani players and with Woakes 84 not out at the end England grabbed a 1-0 lead despite coughing up a 107-run first innings deficit. Woakes is a bowler first and a batsman second, but he delivered with both strings to first inch the game towards England with the ball on day three, and then totally snatch it away from Pakistan with the bat on day four, earning him the man-of-the-match award.
“It is an amazing feeling,” said Woakes. “There is a lot of belief, but at the back of your ur mind in the fourth innings on that pitch you know it is going ng to be hard work.
“To get the team m over the line is what you want to do and in
Jos Buttler I couldn’t t have had a better er partner to play with.
“It was a great partnership nership because we felt the only way to go was to be attacking, the match situation made our minds for us, and we could put them under pressure.”
With keeper- batsman Buttler alongside him, their 139-run stand in the face of a mercurial bowling attack deserves every plaudit that comes their way.
Walking out to the middle at 106-4, there is no doubt that Buttler would have been feeling the pressure, not only of the situation, but also wanting to make amends for his earlier slip-ups in the field, while also finding out his father was ill in hospital late the night before.
Buttler said: “I’m very aware I didn’t keep well and at this level it doesn’t matter how many runs you score, I need to be better.
“Thoughts go through your head that potent potentially if I don’t score any runs I may have played my
last game.
Focus
“Those kinds of things are in your head and you just have to try and an shut them out and focus foc on the here and now and I’m I pleased I was able to do d that. h
“I absolutely owed the team. I know that isn’t good enough as an international wicket-keeper, I’ve got to perform at a higher level.
“I didn’t keep well enough and that is disappointing.
“As a wicket- keeper there is nowhere to hide. I found it tough and hard to shut out and I know if I’m going to continue to be a keeper in this team I need to be better.”