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After spending a decade fighting the reputation of being a home specialist, Woakes has given in and joined the groupthink. Woakes at home, good. Woakes away, bad.
It is just four months since Woakes won the Compton-Miller medal for man of the series during The Ashes, but rather than the award teasing him into flogging a 34-year-old bowler’s knee in India for five Tests, it has instead assured him of his value to England in home conditions and the fact that when West Indies and Sri Lanka arrive for Test cricket in 2024, his will be one of the first names being considered.
“It’s mixed emotions,” Woakes said, a day out from the start of England’s five-match T20I series against West Indies. “Whenever there’s a Test squad announcement, you’re always desperate to be in it. But at the same time, at my age, with my away record – particularly in the subcontinent – I feel like it’s a fair decision.”
The topic of Woakes the home phenomenon vs away pedestrian is well rehearsed. With the ball, an average of 21.88 in familiar conditions is paired with an average of 51.88 when overseas. There have been moments when the trend looked to be broken, with impressive performances in New Zealand in 2019 and South Africa in 2020, but overall, the exceptions have proved the rule.
The low point came in the Caribbean 18 months ago, when the omission of James Anderson and Stuart Broad saw Woakes promoted to the role of opener. Three Test matches brought just five wickets, an average of 48.80 and an operation.
“I tried to bowl my heart out and really struggled with my body,” Woakes said, reflecting on the trip and the hope that missing certain England tours will extend his career by a number of years. “My knee was sore at the time, I ended up having surgery after that and I missed six months of cricket.
“I wouldn’t want that to be the same case going to India, bowling on tracks which are unresponsive to my type of bowling; slamming the front knee down at 34 is not really ideal when I want to play a lot of white-ball cricket moving forward. It’s different when that’s just your sole focus but when you want to play all forms, it makes it a wise decision.”
Woakes didn’t go as far to say he’s happy to be considered a home-specialist, with his inability to crack cricket overseas something that will remain a point of frustration in what has otherwise been a quietly decorated career – and he still hopes to be considered for selection when England tour more seam-friendly nations such as New Zealand. But in the modern day where workloads are there to be managed and white-ball World Cups come around every year, it makes life for Woakes simpler, if not better.
“I’ve said that in the past and it’s not through lack of trying, because in the white-ball game my away record is almost probably better than my home record. So it’s not just purely those conditions, but with the red ball, I have found it a little bit difficult. So frustrating, but at the same time, it’s not through lack of effort.”
The positives for both Woakes and England in the current situation is that England get the best of Test Woakes, the best of white-ball Woakes around the world – and Woakes gets to have his paydays too.
In January, rather than tour India, he will travel to the ILT20 to play for Sharjah Warriors, the competition which spurred England into multi-year central contract action after Mark Wood was offered £400,000 to play for the Dubai Capitals.
“We had conversations about where my best cricket is likely to be played moving forward and naturally in Test cricket, it looks likely to be at home. It doesn’t mean to say that when there’s not subcontinent tours that I won’t be available. But I feel at ease with the decision, if that makes sense. The communication was good, I know where I stand so it’s fine by me.”
Woakes’ focus is now on the five T20I matches ahead of him, with England’s preparations for the T20 World Cup to be hosted in the Caribbean and the USA well under way. The 2024 World Cup will be Woakes’ seventh for England – but at 34, he has no intention of declaring it his last.
“I think it would be stupid for me to look any further than this series, that’s the way I’ve always tried to approach the lead-ups to World Cups. As we’ve seen in the past, players can get left out at the last minute.
“We’re in the thick of a series which is going to be quite important for us going forward with the T20 here in six months. You naturally need to focus on that. But as you said I haven’t retired from ODI cricket and the next ODI stuff for England isn’t until September….the call isn’t mine but I’ll do everything I can to be available for selection.”
This series against West Indies will also see the launch of the ICC’s stop-clock trial, where teams will need to be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed. Failure to do so on three occasions will lead to a five-run penalty.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Woakes said. “I know it annoys you guys when we’re a bit slow. But when you’re out there in the middle, the game does feel fast. Even though at times guys might be taking drinks or swapping gloves and things, but the game does feel pretty quick. But naturally we’re in the entertainment business and we need to make sure that the viewers are happy as well.”
Cameron Ponsonby is a freelance cricket writer in London. @cameronponsonby
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