WOAKES: I’LL BE FIT FOR WORLD CUP
‘Knee injury doesn’t worry me’
Chris Woakes returns to the england side today confident he can nurse his damaged knee through the rest of this Caribbean tour and the World Cup.
england’s best white- ball bowler was sorely missed in the defeat in the second one-day international when it was decided not to risk a long-term problem that effectively ruled him out of the Test series against West indies.
Woakes will play in the third match here today, with the teams level at 1-1 with three to play, insisting a tendon injury he has played through for the last six years can be managed throughout the six- week- long World Cup this summer.
‘it’s not something i’m overly worried about,’ said Woakes as england trained at the impressive National stadium here yesterday. ‘of course it’s in the back of my mind but i know i can get through two games in three days. it was just felt it wasn’t worth risking it the other day. i keep the rest of my body in good condition and do everything i can to stay fit. if some freak happens and i break down, that’s part of professional sport but i feel fit now and i’m good to go. We’ve looked at the World Cup schedule and it’s not as tight as you might think. hopefully that will work in my favour.’
For all Woakes’s confidence, the problem with his right knee must be a concern for england — not least in Test cricket where he was left out throughout the tour of sri Lanka before Christmas and then ruled out of all three matches against West indies.
The ashes will follow the World Cup this summer and a fully-fit Woakes would be an automatic selection. But there must be doubts, approaching his 30th birthday, as to whether he has a long-term future in the longer game.
‘By no means do i think i’m coming towards the end of my career,’ Woakes insisted. ‘of course people are going to ask those questions when you get rested from a game and you’ve not played much cricket. i understand that but in my own mind i’m fine.
‘i got through four ashes Tests last winter, plus all the warm- ups and one-day internationals and i had this problem then. i know i can get through cricket. at times with the schedule it may be tough but i think it’s the same with every bowler.
‘it just comes from too much bowling. There are other guys around who probably have the same issue. i know Mark Wood has got a version of it as well. it comes with the territory.’
england were today due to make sure Wood, outstanding in the last Test in st Lucia and the first two games of this series, had no reaction to training yesterday before finalising their side, with Woakes expected to come back for Tom Curran, who replaced him on Friday.
There will be extra scrutiny on england’s bowling unit in the last three matches here because of the impending availability of Jofra archer, who qualifies on March 17 and could be fast-tracked into the World Cup.
But Woakes is insistent that the World Cup favourites have enough firepower to win this series, and, more importantly, finally clinch their first global 50-over title at home this summer.
‘We’ve had a settled group over the last few years and our skills have improved a lot in that time,’ he said. ‘Because our batting is so strong we’ll always look at our bowling as our weakness.
‘But if you look around the world most teams will have better batting line-ups than bowling because of the strength and power of batsmen these days. We’ve got lots of different options.’