Chris Woakes

ENG vs WI : England Head Coach Brendon McCullum Says Chris Woakes Is Positively In Contention For Overseas Tours Post WI 2024 Series

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Brendon McCullum has laughed off any indication that Chris Woakes could be overlooked for the next England tour despite the fast bowler’s alarming bowling average increase when playing abroad. The Warwickshire bowler , Chris Woakes sees a sharp spike in his numbers when he plays away from England, although McCullum believes that he will be in contention for The Ashes series in Australia next year.

England all-rounder Chris Woakes continued his fine performance with ball and bat in the third Test versus West Indies at Edgbaston, Birmingham. After claiming a three-fer in West Indies’ first innings score of 282, Woakes made his presence felt with a 62-run knock with the bat on Day 2. Chris Woakes shared a century-plus stand alongside Jamie Smith (95) and helped England take a lead.

Chris Woakes career in test matches

Chris Woakes, the fast bowler, has a sharp spike in his bowling average when playing overseas, from 21.83 in home Tests to 51.95 in Tests away. Chris Woakes has featured in 51 Tests for his country, and took four wickets in the third Test in the recent series against the West Indies, which ended at Edgbaston. Chris Woakes took 11 wickets across the whole three-game series, in which England whitewashed their tourists.

Chris Woakes is also handy when batting, and he can add vital tallies towards the lower end of the order, such as the 67 in England’s first innings in the recent Third test. Another consideration for England is Chris Woakes’ ability with the bat. He scored 134 runs at eight, including a crucial 67 in the first innings at Edgbaston, having come in when the hosts were 169-6 and 113 behind.

England will struggle to find those runs elsewhere with Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer possible future options, though there is no guarantee any of them will make it to Australia. Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley could fulfil that role in the long term but both behind Shoaib Bashir as England’s frontline spinner. Chris Woakes has raced to 6,603 runs in First-Class cricket. Chris Woakes has clobbered 26 fifties in addition to 10 tons. Notably, he has 584 scalps in FC cricket, including 159 for England.

The last time Chris Woakes, who plays his county cricket for Warwickshire, played abroad for his country was in 2022 during England’s tour of the Caribbean. That was before McCullum and Ben Stokes took control of operations. England head coach Brendon McCullum insists that Chris Woakes will be in contention for selection for tours abroad.

England head coach Brendon McCullum says Chris Woakes is positively in contention for overseas tours post WI 2024 series.

England Test head coach Brendon McCullum hasn’t closed the door on Chris Woakes’ possibility of featuring in overseas Tests despite the seamer’s underwhelming record. The former Kiwi keeper-batter feels Woakes bowled brilliantly on the flat surfaces in England’s 3-0 win against the West Indies.

The Warwickshire seamer, now the leader of the bowling attack, is arguably an incisive bowler in English conditions, averaging 21.84 in 31 Tests. However, the average plummets to 51.89 in 21 overseas Tests. In an interview last year, the veteran has made peace with not getting to tour India or Australia again.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, July 29, McCullum reflected that Woakes should’ve played a lot more cricket than he has. As quoted by The Telegraph, the former New Zealand captain said:

“Yeah, why not? The way he bowled on these flat surfaces [in the West Indies series], reversing the ball, he was able to prize out some wickets. He’s a remarkable cricketer who probably hasn’t played as much as he could have in international cricket but every time he has, he’s done really well. Whether that means he plays overseas, let’s wait and see but it’s hard to rub him out right now.”

The 35-year-old assumed the role of the senior seamer after James Anderson’s retirement delivered wickets at crucial junctures for England. He finished with 11 scalps in three Tests at 21.36 apiece.

Brendon McCullum on James Anderson’s new role

McCullum also remains in awe of how easily Anderson has transitioned into his new role of coaching from a player. The 42-year-old feels Anderson’s experience has been a handful for the players, adding:

“To move straight into the coaching staff, what he’s given in the past couple of matches is quite incredible. Sometimes when you’re a player you don’t always give everything to everyone else because you’re worried about your own performance.”

“But the information he’s been able to pass on and the way he’s fitted seamlessly into our group of coaches we’re so lucky to call upon that resource and the person he is. It’s never easy but Jimmy seems really content right now.”

England will next face Sri Lanka in a three-Test series, beginning on August 21 in Manchester. England will also need to balance their attack for Australia, especially with at least one pink-ball Test expected to be part of the schedule, and Woakes would help do that alongside the high pace of Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Archer and Josh Tongue.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “Side Arm Specialists In India Need To Work Hard To Prepare Batters For Tough Times”- Abhishek Jain Gives His Invaluable Insights

 


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