When Chris Woakes took his third wicket of the day, the Hollies Stand – well-oiled, because it was deep into the final session – were chanting “oh, Jimmy, Jimmy”.
The chant seemed to tap into the mood of a cricketing public that, two weeks on, has not quite come to terms with the fact that James Anderson is now a fast bowling mentor, not a fast bowler.
Edgbaston is Woakes’s home ground and he is an extremely popular cricketer here and beyond. But many wonder why he is still in England’s team if Anderson is not, given the sudden shift in their language from “be where your feet are” and worrying only about the next game to talking about building an attack that can thrive in all conditions, particularly Australia late next year, a tour that will define the Bazball project.
And if not Anderson, why not young faces like Dillon Pennington or Matthew Potts, in the spirit of experimentation? Woakes said “there was no discussion with the management” about rest or rotation going into this Test. Stuart Broad, watching on from the media centre, said he would have been miffed to be rested (as he was here in 2012). “I’ve never been a believer in just handing out Test caps,” Broad said. Still, some argue a gap has emerged between England’s rhetoric and reality.
That wicket, of Alzarri Joseph caught at mid-off, was Woakes’s 10th of the series. He averages 22.1, maintaining his remarkable record in home Tests. Overall, it was his 123rd Test wicket in England, at an average of 21.9. If you slim the sample size to the last five years – ie since he turned 30 – it is 69 wickets at 20.8 (in that timeframe, Anderson averaged 27.8 at home). Do not forget that in last summer’s Ashes, Woakes was man of the series, taking 19 wickets at 18.2 in three matches, while Anderson managed four wickets at 85 in five matches.
As he often has, Woakes has grown beautifully into this series. He was rusty during Anderson’s Testmatchimonial at Lord’s, having played little cricket this year, a period in which he has lost his father.
But he was superb on a flat pitch at Trent Bridge, taking six wickets in the match, including the one that sparked West Indies’ dramatic collapse in the fourth innings after a solid start. On day two, something had clicked. “I’m a bowler who is better for the gallop,” he said. “That has certainly been the case in this series since Lord’s. I’ve found that rhythm and feel”.
He prised out key wickets here too, whether of Nottingham centurion Kavem Hodge, bowled straight after lunch shouldering arms, or the lovely set-up of Josh Da Silva, nicking off after a frustrating stand of 109 with Jason Holder. Like Trent Bridge, this was a slow, batting-friendly surface. Late in the day, he left the field holding his left quad but was confident it was just cramp.
Before the Trent Bridge Test, Ben Stokes said he did not want to sound “ageist” when discussing England’s decision to retain Woakes, 35, and retire Anderson, who turns 42 this week.
They did not feel Anderson would make Australia but, given Woakes’s record overseas (especially in Australia with the Kookaburra ball), the younger man was unlikely to either. But if he continues like this could he find himself used as a day/night specialist if the pink ball is used in Adelaide again?
They made a calculated call on one skilful medium-fast bowler to act as a bridge and lead the attack at home over the next two summers.
Given their recent numbers, it was right to choose Woakes, especially given his batting. England have a number of younger, faster bowlers, but none of them bat to anything like his ability, except perhaps Brydon Carse, who appeared to be losing his way even before his ban for gambling offences. If a batsman as good as Jamie Smith is carded at No 7, he needs to be followed by a decent tail. He is acting as a bridge between generations in the attack, and a bridge at No 8, too. Given England’s evening collapse, his runs might be required here, too.
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