Chris Woakes has recently stated that he was really excited after he was given another chance to play for the England Test side. The 33-year-old thought that he might be dropped after a forgettable Ashes Series in Australia recently.
Woakes is likely to share the new ball with Craig Overton in the first Test against the West Indies which is about to commence on 8th of March in Antigua. Overton has been included in the squad in place of Ollie Robinson after the pacer suffered a back spasm in the warm up game last week and was not included in the squad.
The right-arm fast bowler stated that Robinson’s absence will be felt given the way he had a bright start in the longer format but on the other hand it provides opportunities to others to showcase their talent and helps the team to test the bench strength.
The pacer talked about the challenges the Red ball offers especially in the Caribbean ahead of the first Test in Antigua. The pacer spoke after the training session at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
He stated that it won’t be easy for the visitors as England haven’t won many Test matches here and it would be a challenge for the visitors.
The pacer further added that it was more about how mentally we prepare ourselves to win games as a team rather than personal achievements. Woakes went on to say that the team is looking to get better collectively rather than relying on performances of a few individuals. The Birmingham born went through a below par performance in the Ashes series taking just 6 wickets in 3 games with an average of 55.33. The 33-year-old averages 22.63 in 25 games in England and 52.38 from 17 away games playing away. These figures raise question marks over his adaptability.
However, Woakes is excited to be given another chance but the pacer added that he was disappointed that the Ashes didn’t go as expected. Woakes' case is like managing director Andrew Stauss mentioned that some games act like a platform for some players to play a different role.
Woakes will be leading the pace attack in the absence of the experienced duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. He will partner Overton alongside Mark Wood and uncapped Saqib Mahmood.