Chris Woakes Feared he Won’t Play Test Cricket for England Again

England fast bowler Chris Woakes says he started to doubt his Test future after recovering from knee surgery that kept him out for a long time.

The Warwickshire pacer all-rounder was sidelined from first-class cricket for over a year after undergoing knee surgery and has not played a Test since March 2022 when he faced the West Indies.

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But the 34-year-old has been included in England’s squad for their only Test against Ireland at Lord’s starting on Thursday and a strong performance in the ‘Home of Cricket’ could see Woakes feature in the upcoming home Ashes series.

“Last summer was a very difficult summer for me personally, missing not only England cricket but all cricket,” Woakes told reporters at Lord’s on Tuesday.

And there was no shortage of relief for Woakes, a 45-Test veteran, when he got a call from England coach Brendon McCullum to make sure he was back in the red-ball team.

“When Brendan called me it felt like, not like the first call-up, but it always means a lot and it’s great to be back in the middle of it,” he said.

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“That kind of doubt (about playing for England again) runs through your mind a bit. It’s part and parcel of the professional game, be it form, injury or whatever, there’s always someone knocking at the door, young players ready to come in.”

England have won 10 out of 12 Tests since McCullum and captain Ben Stokes joined last year.

But although fellow fast bowlers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have been rested from the Ireland game in the hope that they will be back to full fitness for next month’s Ashes opener at Edgbaston, Woakes will still be Australia’s mainstay this season. have ambitions to face.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “Whenever you get the chance take it as a chance to impress, contribute to the team’s win, and with a big summer ahead you want to try and be a part of that.”

Woakes, who has an impressive batting average of 61.20 and 27 wickets at 11.33 in five Tests at Lord’s, said: “It’s an opportunity if I get cleared on Thursday, I’ll obviously do my best to contribute.” Will do.” Team winning and individual performance.

“You look across the board and we have a very good pool of fast bowlers. There have definitely been some injuries, and with a big summer ahead you would imagine we’re going to need that big pool of fast bowlers at some point.”

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP,