Chris Woakes believes his England career has been extended rather than obstructed in the shadows of the evergreen James Anderson and outgoing Stuart Broad.
A double World Cup winner with an outstanding Test record on home soil, Woakes has nevertheless found himself frequently playing second fiddle to England’s record-breaking seamers in the longest format.
Injury issues have also played their part but, after more than a year out of the side, Woakes had his moment in the sun after a starring role in the Ashes, where his 19 wickets at a phenomenal average of 18.14 in the final three Tests went a long way to helping England claim a hard-fought 2-2 series draw.
His input – there were also a couple of key cameos with the bat – meant he walked off with the prestigious Compton-Miller Medal for player of the series despite not featuring in the first two Tests.
Broad attracted much of the fanfare in his final Test but while his retirement leaves the door ajar, Woakes only had warm words for how much he has learned from the now ex-fast bowler and Anderson.
“The last three weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind and it’s just amazing to be a part of,” Woakes said. “I think I’m just proud of myself to be able to keep going.
“I feel very lucky to have played with Stuart. Jimmy’s the same. The stuff that I’ve learned from them has had a huge impact on how I’ve bowled about over the years. It’s been an honour.
“It’s extended my international career, if anything. We won’t know what would have been if they hadn’t been around, but I only have good things to say in terms of the knowledge they’ve passed on.”
Woakes, who was once regarded as the successor to 41-year-old Anderson, wants a more senior role after Broad’s exit and should be a shoo-in in England owing to an average of 21.88 in home conditions.
But that climbs to 51.88 from a not-inconsiderable 20 Tests overseas, so he was understandably cautious about his expectations of being on the plane to India for England’s next assignment in the new year.
“I think that’s a question for another day,” he said. “Let’s let this sink in. I have no idea. We all know my record away from home, so I think we’ll come to that if it happens.
“I want to play for England for as long as possible. Still, for me, playing international cricket is the pinnacle. You want to be a part of days like (the last day of the fifth Ashes Test).
“You don’t get it anywhere else, so you want this to last for as long as possible whilst you’re still performing.
“I think it’s important that the older guys in the team do pass on the knowledge to younger guys coming through. There’s a big thing to be said for that.”
Woakes won player of the match at the Kia Oval after bagging seven wickets in the Test, as England levelled the series – all the more remarkable given he was nursing a grade one quad tear.
“A tiny, tiny one,” he said. “I felt it in over 10 (in Australia’s first innings) and I was a bit worried because it was the first innings and I thought ‘oh, no, it could be going’.
“But then I ended up bowling 25 in the first innings and it disappeared. It’s one of them. I’ve had the physio on it all week. To get through made it all worthwhile.”
Woakes thought a knee injury he sustained on his last Test assignment in the Caribbean in March 2022 might have ended his career and reflected with incredulity at how his fortunes have turned.
“The way my knee felt, I wasn’t sure if I was going to play cricket again,” he said. “At no point did I think I’d be stood here now with with what I’ve achieved. It’s pretty incredible to think about.”
Woakes had an operation last summer to correct the problem and was asked if he could pass on his surgeon’s number to skipper Ben Stokes, who has been battling through a longstanding issue in his own knee.
“I’m sure if there’s a surgeon to be seen, he will be seeing my surgeon,” Woakes added. “Andy Williams is the best. He’s done an amazing job. He’s done two ops on my knee and thankfully I’m still here.
“But I think Stokes’ issue is probably slightly different to what I had.”
Asalanka leads Sri Lanka to ODI series win over West Indies
Sri Lanka wrapped up the ODI series against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory in Pallekele.
The hosts successfully chased down their opponents' total of 189, giving them an unassailable 2-0 in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka controlled the early powerplay - Asitha Fernando (3-35) and Maheesh Theekshana (3-25) took two wickets apiece to leave the tourists at 31-4 in the ninth over.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4-40) then claimed three of his four wickets as Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh and Alzarri Joseph were all dismissed in the space of 14 balls.
However, Sherfane Rutherford (80 off 82 balls) and Gudakesh Motie (50 not out) steadied the ship to take the Windies from 58-8 to 189.
Although Joseph claimed Avishka Fernando (9) in the fourth over, Nishan Madushka and Sadeera Samarawickrama both chipped in with contributions of 38 to get the hosts to 112-4.
Skipper Charith Asalanka (62 not out) led the charge thereon, while Kamindu Mendis (11) comfortably got them over the line with 34 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Rutherford-Motie historic stand proves academic for tourists
West Indies were looking to level the series, but their hopes were not aided by Sri Lanka's impressive bowling.
Rutherford and Motie did their best. Their partnership brought 119 runs, which is their nation's highest ninth-wicket stand in ODI history, breaking the previous record of 85 between Yannic Cariah and Alzarri Joseph.
However, it ultimately proved in vain as the hosts secured the series with a game to spare.
'I was a tired, grumpy old man' - Stokes apologised to England team-mates after Pakistan defeat
Ben Stokes says he apologised to his England team-mates after his frustrations were evident during the second-Test defeat by Pakistan.
The hosts levelled the three-Test series on Thursday after wrapping up a 152-run win in Multan.
However, it could have been a different story but for fielding errors at crucial stages for the visitors, Jamie Smith and Joe Root notably dropping catches to dismiss Salman Agha, whose subsequent knock of 63 helped Pakistan seal victory with a day to spare.
Stokes, who returned to action following a hamstring injury, could not hide his frustration during a difficult day for England, but insisted he would not let his emotions get the better of him again.
"No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are in these subcontinent conditions, they don't come along that often," he told Sky Sports.
"I actually apologised to the group last night. It's the first time in my captaincy that I've let my emotions and how I was feeling with the way the game was unfolding show in my body language.
"I owned up to that and was very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It's something that I don't want to do or be seen to be doing, so I apologised to the group about that.
"Poor old me, I was a tired, grumpy old man last night! You won't see that happen again."
However, England coach Brendon McCullum defended the actions of his skipper.
"We all know how passionate Ben is, how much it means for him to play for England," he said.
"We've seen that through his bloody-mindedness to get back from injury, which was significant, and to do so in a nine-week timeframe and to have his first TM [Test match] in extreme conditions, 40 degrees, and be able to give what he gave to the side.
"I think, maybe, that's where some of that frustration led to - certainly, it wasn't directed at any of the players. It was more about trying to assess the rhythm of the game, and to impact on it."
Sri Lanka breeze to series win over West Indies
Sri Lanka cruised to a nine-wicket victory over West Indies to seal a T20I series triumph.
With the series delicately poised at 1-1 heading into the final match on Thursday, Sri Lanka started with intent in Dambulla.
Maheesh Theekshana (2-19) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2-24) led the charge as Sri Lanka skittled through the Windies' top order.
Rovman Powell's stubborn 37 and a contribution of 32 from Gudakesh Motie steered West Indies to a reasonable total of 162-8, but it was one well within reach of Sri Lanka.
Pathum Nissanka clipped seven fours and one six in a 22-ball 37 to get Sri Lanka's chase rolling at pace, before he was bowled by Gudakesh Mottie (1-31).
Yet the damage was mostly done, with Kusal Mendis powering his way to an unbeaten 68 and Kusal Perera plundering 55 from 36 balls to get the job done with the minimum of fuss.
Data Debrief: Perera closing in on Sri Lanka record
Perera is now just nine runs away from surpassing Tillakaratne Dilshan (1,889) as the leading scorer in Sri Lanka's T20I history.
His efforts, combined with those of Nissanka and Mendis, saw Sri Lanka win for a fourth time in their last six T20Is at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, although this is the first time they have won at the venue in that run when batting second.
The Windies' miserable record in Asia has continued, meanwhile. They have won only one of their last 11 T20Is in Asia (L10), with that victory coming in the first match of this series. They have now lost 33 T20Is on the continent in total, with only Ireland (35) having lost more.
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