Understated England allrounder claims Compton-Miller medal to underline his value
Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Jul-2023It was at the end of the 81st over when Ben Stokes went over to speak to Chris Woakes.Woakes had just bowled his eighth over on the spin from the Pavilion End since the rain break, and the England captain figured it was time for a rest. It was also time for Stuart Broad to put the bow on a glittering career.Broad did, of course – confirming legacy and status, bowing out with an Ashes victory and a 2-2 scoreline with the final two dismissals. But by the time he came on to give his figures a facelift, Australia were groggy off the back of “one of those” Woakes spells. Nagging accuracy, swing, jag and surprising menace from a man who is more likely to sincerely ask how your wife and, importantly, your kids are.Steve Smith was dragged across and nicked off low to Zak Crawley at second slip. Mitchell Starc fooled from over the wicket, for the same result. There’s not much Starc could have done, far better left-handed batters have fallen victim to Woakes’s “old-fashioned” approach given he does not bowl to southpaws from round the wicket. Like openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja, whose 140 stand had a target of 384 looking small fry, before Woakes lifted one off a length to the former and nipped one into the latter’s front pad to see them both off in the space of eight deliveries.Related
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Typical of Stokes as a leader, he wanted Woakes to know just how impactful he had been. “When he stopped bowling, I just said ‘you’ve been a massive reason we’re in this position right now’,” Stokes revealed in his press conference. How did Woakes take it? “He wasn’t having a bar of it, he just said ‘let’s finish the job and get it done’.”You do not need to know Woakes to appreciate that was a very Woakes reaction to a very correct assessment. During the presentations, when the 34-year-old was asked how he would rank this performance at the Kia Oval, of 3 for 61 and 4 for 50, along with a handy 36 in the first innings, he ended up talking about Broad. The reason he was up there talking at all? He was both Player of the Match and Player of the Series, despite only playing three of five Tests.He took 19 wickets at 18.15, coming in to offer a cutting edge that had been lacking. Of his 79 runs, none were more important than the unbeaten 32 that took England to a crucial victory at Headingley. One which picked them up the floor after defeats at Edgbaston and Lord’s, and brought back a public who were starting to turn.Of equal importance was one of the most talented cricketers of his generation finally getting his moment in the sun. So much of Woakes’ story is about selflessness and reverence without actually ever actually getting his flowers. A case in point – his first introduction with the ball this series came up the hill at Headingley, an end which he hates but was never going to complain about because it would allow others to have a go from the better end, and someone had to do it. Even this match, he came in with a quad issue but decided to suck it up and play because sitting out might have altered the balance of the team. If there’s a burned piece of toast going, expect him to take it.And yet a player who has seemingly endured nothing but pain against Australia in whites, ticked off a few personal glories. He struck the winning runs in the third Test, then took 5 for 62 at Emirates Old Trafford in the fourth for a maiden five-wicket haul against Australia in 14 caps. He even adopted Broad’s bunny by nabbing Warner four times in a row. According to CricViz’s expected wickets model, the eight-over spell at The Oval was the most threatening by any bowling throughout the series. His career average with the ball is also now down to 29.13.
“To play three games and walk away with man of the series I think proves how good a cricketer he is. He’s a massive team man, should never be underestimated for his contributions to English cricket”Ben Stokes on Chris Woakes
All of which is pretty remarkable for a bloke who started the 2022 summer wondering if he would ever play again. An injury to his right knee felt terminal, and moreover tours of Australia and West Indies in the preceding winter – five wickets at 48.80 and six at 55.30 – suggested Test spells, home and away, might be over. And now here he is, the main character in the most engaging Ashes since 2005.”When he’s not playing anymore it will all be ‘if he wasn’t in the era of Jimmy and Broad, he would have been more consistent in the England team’,” Stokes said, regarding the fact Woakes has just 48 caps since debuting 10 years ago against Australia at this very ground, and more often than not without access to the new ball. Fittingly, not only was he able to aid Broad’s pursuit for the perfect swansong, but he also helped Anderson to his first victory against Australia since July 2015.”To play three games and walk away with man of the series I think proves how good a cricketer he is,” added Stokes. “He’s a massive team man, should never be underestimated for his contributions to English cricket.”He might not have got the opportunities people might think he would have but that’s purely because he’s been in the era of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Every time he’s walked out for England he’s given absolutely everything. This series in particular he’ll be very proud of what he’s managed to achieve and I’m very proud of him for coming in and putting in the performances he’s done. “”He’s been a massive part of the reason we are sitting here talking about why we’ve drawn the series 2-2 after being 2-0 down.”There is a lot of love for Woakes in the England dressing room. Ask them who the most talented cricketer is and all to a man will say Woakes, or more likely “Wiz” (his nickname is “The Wizard”). The best footballer? On balance, probably Woakes. The best bloke? Woakes again. Even Broad’s partner, Mollie, the mother of his first kid, has Woakes as her favourite cricketer.After the last month, after Monday, perhaps the English public will feel much the same. A player who is revered for his geniality is now a Compton-Miller medal winner, a key cog in an inspirational England team overturning a 2-0 deficit and giving credence to the fact they could – perhaps should – have won the Ashes outright.Chris Woakes is the bloke who drives you to the airport. Chris Woakes is the bloke who helps your nan across the road. Chris Woakes is the bloke who holds your hand during turbulence on a flight. Chris Woakes is the poster boy of the 2023 Ashes.
