WOAKES ON HIS ONE- DAY HEROICS –
Chris Woakes took his biggest step towards replacing the almost irreplaceable with a superb allround performance in the one- day match against sri Lanka and then insisted there was room in the england team for him and Ben stokes.
Woakes, 27, was a substitute when england’s brightest star was injured before the second Test, when even captain alastair Cook damned him with faint praise by saying: ‘ he’s no Ben stokes but he’s still a good player.’
Yet now, with news that stokes is ahead of schedule to return from his knee surgery, Woakes has proved he belongs in all forms of the game and has handed the selectors a dilemma.
on the day it emerged that stokes will make his comeback — for now as a batsman only — as a guestuest for Newcastle Cricket Club against Chester-le-street eet Cricket Club on saturday,y, Woakes, for so long on n the periphery of the england team, reflected on his success in stepping in to his very big boots.
First Woakes put doubts about his effectiveness at Test level l to one side by becoming ng england’s fastest bowlerr in the last two Tests againstnst sri Lanka and scoring his maiden halfcentury for his country.
Better still was his performance in the thrilling opening match of the royal London 50-over series at Trent Bridge when he took two wickets, held three catches and took england to the brink of an unlikely victory with an uunbeaten 95, the highest ever score by a No 8 in a on one-day international. ‘Whenever you get an opportunity you have to ggrab it. i’m in decent form and i believe my best years are ahead of me,’ said Woakes after his ppartnership with Liam PPlunkett earned england a tie. ‘i feel more estestablished as an england crickcricketer now.’ The bbig question will come when stokes is ready to reclaim his place. The Durham all-rounder now hopes to make his championship return on July 3 against hampshire and if all goes well he should be fit for the first Test against Pakistan at Lord’s on July 14. ‘i’d In form: Woakes hits out like to think we can play in the same team but that’s down to the selectors,’ said Woakes.
‘ The workload is very high in international cricket, especially for all-rounders like Ben and me, and i suppose there will be times when we rotate. if that’s the case so be it. i’m just happy to do a job for the team.’
if Woakes continues his upward curve, beginning with tomorrow’s second one-day international against sri Lanka on his home ground of edgbaston, then pressure will grow on the Test place of steven Finn.
Plunkett justified his selection by taking two wickets at Trent Bridge and then hitting the final ball for six to level the scores and he seems sure to retain his place alongside Woakes in england’s attack tomorrow.