Chris Woakes will seek talks with Ben Stokes and direct instructions on England’s new style of play as he looks to force his way into this summer’s Ashes plans.
Woakes, 34, has gone a year without first-class cricket after knee surgery last July but an impressive Test record with the Dukes ball at home – 94 wickets at 22.63, a lower average than both Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad – means he surely sits among the “eight fit fast bowlers” Stokes wants ready to face Australia.
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Having shouldered arms to the Indian Premier League – a decision not taken lightly, given his age and future opportunities in the tournament – Woakes will sit out Warwickshire’s County Championship opener at Somerset that starts on Thursday but then make his long-awaited red-ball return at home to Kent the following week.
For a cricketer who has won every domestic title except the Hundred, and added a second World Cup winner’s medal to his mantelpiece during the winter, the goal now is pretty simple: to pull on the whites of England once more and sample the apparent joyride the team has been on over the past 12 months.
“There’s no cricketer in the country who doesn’t want to be a part of that,” said Woakes. “Winning games and a fun environment, with two greats of the game in Stokes and Brendon McCullum leading the charge – it’s exciting from the outside and I’m sure even more on the inside.”
Asked if there had been dialogue with Stokes regarding Test cricket, Woakes replied: “No, but purposefully. He’s had a lot going on, I’ve had a lot going on and I’ve wanted to get back to Warwickshire, get the red ball in hand first.
“But I will give him a call to find out what he’s thinking from my point of view, whether he wants me to play in a certain way to get my way back in. I know Ben well and it will be an easy call to make. It’s easy to see [the style of play] from the outside but there’s probably more specific messages in the dressing room.
“What I love is that he’s captaining the game the way he’s always played the game. That’s hard to do because people expect you to do things in a traditional way, especially in cricket. He’s changing the way Test cricket is played and the thinking behind it. And he’s got the players playing for him.”
Along with Anderson and Broad – constants during his entire Test career – Woakes has seen Ollie Robinson rise to prominence and Matt Potts enjoy a promising start to his Test career last summer. Both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are clearly on England’s radar too given the point of difference their pace offers.
As such, and with Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood also starting the season after last year’s stress fractures, the competition for spots will be fierce. The same goes for Warwickshire’s attack, the club having signed Chris Rushworth from Durham and Pakistan’s Hasan Ali to avoid a repeat of last season’s final-day escape.
“The ambition is still to play for England,” said Woakes, whose early schedule will be tailored to hit prime fitness and form when the Test summer starts in June. “Once that carrot is gone, you reassess. But at the minute, it’s still England in all three formats. And with the Ashes coming up, I’m focusing on red-ball cricket.”
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