Chris Woakes expressed confidence in his bowling performance during the current Test match against West Indies, noting that the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad hasn’t affected his focus. Despite the responsibility of leading the bowling attack without them, Woakes has embraced the role of taking the new ball in Test cricket. His consistent delivery of accurate lines and lengths has proven effective against the West Indies batsmen, establishing him as a pivotal bowler for England in the ongoing series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Chris Woakes excelled in the first innings by taking four wickets, finishing with figures of 4/84 as England dismissed West Indies for 457 runs. His impactful performance also marked a career milestone of reaching 1000 wickets across all formats.
Reflecting on his bowling display, Woakes acknowledged the importance of gaining momentum and confidence to hit his stride. He described how finding his rhythm during his spells allowed him to reap the rewards of his efforts. Speaking at a press conference, Woakes elaborated on his approach:
“Yeah, I mean, I think I’ve always been a bowler which is better for the gala, so to speak. Better for time on feet, overs under the belt. Very different to Woody. Woody would love to come into a series and be fresh as a daisy and not have bowled a ball. Whereas I like, you know, overs under my belt, a bit of confidence, a bit of rhythm, certainly more of a feel bowler. So, yeah, certainly felt better this week so far than I did at Lord’s.
“And yeah, I think there was a spell yesterday evening where I felt like I got into a bit more rhythm, got the ball moving sideways and then just tried to replicate that this morning. And yeah, felt better. I think naturally, I think sometimes, as I said, it’s easy to just look at the wickets column, but I felt like I bowled reasonably well in my second half of yesterday and then thankfully got it backed up this morning and got rewards for that.
Haven’t got Jimmy at the other end, and I haven’t felt more pressure because of that – Chris Woakes
Chris Woakes further stated that he is experienced enough now to know what works for him and he is trying to replicate what he did last summer. He stressed that he looks at every game like it’s his last and tries to keep things simple. He said:
“Surprisingly not (on extra pressure in Broad and Anderson’s absence). I think I’m at a stage in my career where playing in my 50th Test match got enough experience behind me to know what works for me and how I bowl well. I think you try and draw on past experiences. Last summer was very good for me, so I’m trying to look back and remember how that went how it felt and what got me success.
“So, the fact that I now haven’t got Stu or Jimmy at the other end, I haven’t felt more pressure because of that. If anything, I always try and stay in the moment, stay present and try and play every game as if it’s my last. Then it’s whether they were there or not, so that doesn’t change much,” he concluded.
