Former England cricketer Chris Woakes believes that abandoning the ‘Bazball’ approach would be an unwise decision for England, despite their 4-1 defeat against Australia in the recently concluded Ashes
series. Woakes, who is currently active in the franchise cricket circuit, stated that shifting away from the aggressive philosophy would undermine the significant progress made under the leadership of Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
The right-arm pacer added that the most disappointing aspect of the Ashes loss was England’s inability to capitalise on key moments, despite possessing a squad full of talent. Woakes also pointed out that several players were touring Australia for the first time, which may have played a role in exposing the team’s inexperience in challenging conditions.
"I think it'd be daft to kind of rip it up and start again. We have done so many good things over the last three years. We won some extremely exciting Test matches. I think people forget that before they took over, we were a pretty poor side. We were not winning games of cricket. I think at the same time now, obviously we've had a poor series in Australia and haven't got quite over the line in the big series, but they're close. To rip it up now would be a bit daft,” said Woakes as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"It didn't go really well in Australia obviously. I think we had the team to be able to compete. The guys are extremely talented. I think maybe going to Australia for the first time for a lot of them, maybe got exposed a little bit to the conditions. Then you realize that you have to back it up day after day after day. They didn't win those key moments. I think particularly as a bowling attack, they probably didn't quite have the experience and the know-how to perform on those surfaces,” he added.
The 36-year-old admitted that his decision to retire would have remained unchanged, regardless of his recovery from the shoulder injury he sustained in July last year. He featured for MI Emirates in the International League T20 (ILT20) in December and is now in Dhaka, where he is set to represent the Sylhet Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
"As soon as I made my statement of retiring, I'd made my decision. I was kind of happy to make that decision, regardless of what happened with regards to injury and recovery. But I recovered probably a little bit quicker than I expected. I expected it to probably cause me a few more issues than what it did. I worked hard on recovery and fitness so to get back was pleasing. Once I made my decision, I was never going to go back on that,” said Woakes.
It’s a shame I missed this Ashes tour: Woakes
Woakes, who has taken 16 wickets across two Ashes tours of Australia, jokingly remarked that the pitches this time around were tempting. He also revealed that he likely has two more years of playing left before turning his attention towards a potential coaching career.
"I have been to Australia many times but I have not bowled on wickets like that. So, it is a bit of a shame that I missed that one. But that's the way it goes, and the game has changed a little bit, and certainly the wickets have changed in Australia, definitely," said Woakes.
"I would love to (be involved with England). I obviously still want to play for at least a couple more years, particularly franchise opportunities and a bit of county cricket. In the future that's something which might excite me to (be involved)," he added.
Root’s got a chance to surpass Tendulkar: Woakes
Woakes also conceded that Joe Root may require two more strong seasons before surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in Test cricket. Root currently trails the legendary Indian batter by 1,979 runs.
"I mean, he's certainly got a chance. I kind of hope so for Joe, because obviously he's a friend of mine and I've watched him go about his business. He's a world class operator. He's done it across all conditions. Longevity is the most special thing in my eyes. To be able to consistently improve. People nowadays are constantly looking at ways to expose you. To be able to continue to do that and perform is just pretty special. I'd like to see him do it. Obviously, he's got to have a couple of pretty good years, but on current form, there's no reason why not,” Woakes concluded.
