Woakes is a replacement thriller after maiden Test century
THE absence of Ben Stokes from the second Specsavers Test against India — and maybe even longer — was supposed to have left England with a massive void to fill.
But step forward Chris Woakes, who produced a stunning maiden century yesterday at Lord’s to put the hosts out of sight. Along with Jonny Bairstow, Woakes — recalled after injury here as a replacement for Stokes while England’s premier allrounder has been otherwise engaged at Bristol Crown Court this week — rose to the occasion.
He became the seventh Englishman to put his name on the Lord’s honours boards as both batsman and bowler during a partnership with Bairstow, which realised 189, helped the hosts recover from 131 for five to 357 for six by stumps and is their best for the sixth wicket against India.
For Woakes, it was a heartening comeback from the thigh and knee problems which ended his white-ball summer and also ruled him out of his home Test at Edgbaston, where England went 1-0 up with a thrilling 31-run win a week ago.
Woakes, speaking about his maiden Test century, told Sky Sports Cricket: ‘It’s hard to put into words I suppose. I didn’t have that on my radar at the start of the day, to be honest.
‘It’s an incredible feeling to raise your bat at Lord’s, and obviously to be on that honours board and put the team in a good position, it’s fantastic.
‘I didn’t know what to do at three figures. It’s been a little while since I’ve reached it but (to do it) in a Test match at Lord’s is a unique feeling, something that will stay with me forever.’
England were never in danger of handing the initiative right back to India after bowling them out for 107 the previous day, but it was thanks only to Woakes and Bairstow that they wrested it away so completely to lead by 250 when bad light brought an early close.
The only remaining stumbling block for England is a forecast for the return of bad weather on day four.