No more Mr Nice Guy, as Woakes shows his inner steel
“That is a f***ing joke,” Chris Woakes was caught muttering to himself on Edgbaston’s giant screen, after umpire Sharfuddoula’s on-field decision of not out was upheld via umpire’s call by the DRS. It was out of earshot, but reflected both a rare outward glimpse of Woakes’ inner steel and his disbelief that he would end a faultless opening spell with a solitary wicket to his name.
It was also a moment that summed up England’s mood on the first day, as their attack toiled hard with some success only to walk off at the close with India slightly ahead of the game after being sent in. Woakes was the clear pick of the attack, although his figures of 2 for 59 from 18 overs failed to reflect the problems that he caused, particularly with the new ball.
The specific source of Woakes’ chagrin was an lbw shout against Karun Nair that he was convinced should have been given out. Nair shouldered arms to a ball delivered from wide on the crease, which ball-tracking projected would have gone on to hit some – but not enough – of his off stump. It left him seething to the extent that he even called for a law change.
“I need to be careful: I’ve had some [decisions] go my way over the years,” Woakes said. “In general, DRS has been good for the game. A lot more right decisions are given [than before]. The only thing I would like to come in is that if a batsman decides to leave the ball and it’s still hitting the stumps, I think that should be out – regardless if it’s clipping or not.”
It was the second umpire’s call lbw in three overs that went against him, and the first could have changed the course of the day. Woakes told his team-mates in the huddle that the ball – from over the wicket to the left-hand batter – had “100 %” pitched in line and was vindicated by the DRS, but HawkEye projected a bail-trimmer, which meant Yashasvi Jaiswal survived on 12.
“We could have easily had them 30 for 3,” Woakes said. “It was a pretty frustrating morning, really. Obviously emotions run high when you are desperate to do well for the team, do well for yourself, and it would’ve been nice… had those decisions gone our way, the day looks completely different, but that is Test cricket and we move on.”
His first wicket came between the two referrals, and was the culmination of a severe working-over for KL Rahul. Woakes’ lengths were far more consistent at Edgbaston than they had been at Headingley last week, and his line was immaculate. Rahul played out consecutive maidens but, after two tight leaves, chopped the ball on to his stumps while defending off the back foot.
2:06
‘Frustrating’ – Woakes on the DRS decisions that went India’s way
“Had those decisions gone our way, the day would have looked completely different,” Chris Woakes says
Woakes celebrated with a look to the skies, in memory of his late father Roger, who died last May. Woakes has a new tattoo dedicated to his father and has felt his absence keenly at his home venue. “He’s always on my mind, that’s for sure,” he said, his voice wavering. “There are moments where you certainly think about him. He loved his cricket; he would’ve loved this week.”
But his plan to Nair eventually paid dividends against another batter: in his third spell, after a change of ends – and umpires – Woakes went wide on the crease, convincing Nitish Kumar Reddy to leave the ball alone. It nipped in off the seam to take out his off stump, highlighting Woakes’ adjustment to a slow pitch where bowled and lbw were the main modes of dismissal.
“It felt like the stumps were in play all day,” Woakes said. “It didn’t feel like a massive nick-off wicket, to be honest; it didn’t feel like it had the pace in it for that… It was something which we were looking for. Basically, it was trying to find the right length that allowed you to be full enough not to get driven, but still bring the stumps into play.”
0:53
Aaron: Marked improvement by the English bowling unit
Varun Aaron on England’s bowling plan on day 1
Woakes made an inauspicious start to this series, taking 1 for 148 across 43 overs at Headingley, and had been noticeably struggling for rhythm. It was no surprise that he looked sharper on Wednesday, in only his fourth first-class appearance of 2025 – “I’ve always been better for overs under the belt,” he has previously said – not least given the venue.
“Across a career, you don’t get that many games at your home venue: this is my fourth Test match here. They are really special weeks. You have a lot of friends and family in the ground, and I’ve got a lot of love for Warwickshire, which goes deep. It’s all I’ve ever known… There’s a lot of people behind the scenes who support you through the good times and the bad.”
Woakes spent 18 months either injured or out of favour between the end of Joe Root’s tenure as captain and the 16th Test of the Stokes-McCullum era, but has since become an integral part of England’s attack again. They have only lost once with him in the side in the last two years, and at 36, he has finally emerged from James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s considerable shadows.
A hard-earned reputation as one of cricket’s good guys has sometimes worked against Woakes, making it relatively easy for coaches to leave him out – or for umpires to turn down his appeals. But today his obvious exasperation reflected a self-evident truth: reaching this level of sport demands talent, but staying there for as long as Woakes has demands tenacity, too.