Life out of the limelight fine for Chris Woakes as Pakistan return to England

Woakes is yet to win a series against Pakistan but, as Vithushan Ehantharajah writes, he will be delighted if they do so this month, whether he takes the headlines doing it or not

Woakes' England welcome Pakistan this month (Getty)

England have not beaten Pakistan in a series since 2010.

In that time the teams have met four times – twice in the United Arab Emirates and twice in the UK ahead of this summer’s three-Test series which kicks off at the bio-secure Emirates Old Trafford.

Two 3-0 defeats in the UAE were as one-sided as the scorelines suggest, but it was in 2016’s four-match series that England spurned the chance to get one on the board this decade. Pakistan took a 1-0 lead with victory at Lord’s before the hosts bagged the next two. Pakistan came back to take the fourth match at the Oval with a 10-wicket win to salvage a 2-2 draw.

Chris Woakes remembers it well. “It felt like we missed an opportunity there to win that series,” he says of the series. “I think that just shows how competitive Pakistan can be anywhere in the world.”

The seamer was part of the 2018 series, too, where spoils were shared 1-1. But 2016 resonates with Woakes far more than other years. And understandably so.

It was this summer that the seam-bowling allrounder truly broke through into international cricket, taking 34 wickets at an average of 17.20 and registering his first two half-centuries. There were also his first two five-wicket hauls: a six for 70 and five for 32 against Pakistan at Lord’s in the first Test.

“It was kind of a breakthrough for me in the Test team,” says Woakes. “The winter prior to that in South Africa didn’t go as well as I’d liked. I doubted whether I was going to get another opportunity.”

That’s not Woakes being over the top. He is hardly the melodramatic type. But it was reflective of a chastening series that England won but he, on paper, failed. South Africa 2015/16 was only his third series in just over two years as a Test cricketer, but just two dismissals in four innings and an average just under 100 with the ball suggested the format was not for him. To follow it up with success the following summer in such a profound way was crucial to achieving the 35 caps the 31 year-old has to date.

“That was a real big turning point for me, 2016. I found a bit of rhythm, got the ball moving in the air and bowled at decent pace that summer. Thankfully that went really well. So hopefully I can draw on those memories for this series coming up.

“I feel like I’ve changed as a cricketer since then: with experience and time you develop new skills. But also I feel like I’ve become a lot more consistent, both as a cricketer and as a person as well. It’s the complete package: the older you get and you learn your game a little bit more. Hopefully I can bring some of that form to this series.”

There have been two more five-fors since, the latest (five for 50) coming in last week’s defeat of West Indies in Manchester. The memories of that third and second Test will be all the more vivid for Woakes as he takes up the room he vacated in the onsite hotel. Whether he starts the series, though, is still up in the air.

“I hope I’ve done enough to be in that starting XI,” says Woakes, who appreciates the difficult the selectors and captain Joe Root have. Among the resting of fast bowlers like Jofra Archer and Mark Wood comes the balancing act of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, both with over 500 Test wickets after the latter joined the former to the milestone last week, and showing no signs of slowing down. “Competition is high at the minute, we’ve got still two of England’s greats charging in and taking wickets every time they play and we’ve got exciting fast bowlers as well.”

One aspect Woakes has in his favour is the ability to bowl with the new and old ball. It makes him the more flexible of the bowlers and could work in his favour when the playing XI is named on Wednesday morning at the toss. Either way, he’ll do what is asked of him and, with 81 of 106 wickets coming in England at an average of 22, he’ll do it well. And he is not bothered if it means not getting a fair share of the praise.

“Don’t get me wrong, I want to go on the field and perform and I want to make match-winning performances for England. But it really doesn’t bother me if I’m first choice to write about or not, to be brutally honest.

“At my age, where I am now at 31, it’s probably unlikely I’m going to go on and get 500 Test wickets like Jimmy and Broady. But I still want to go on and get as many as I can individually. I still feel I can provide really good services for England cricket for many more years to come. I’m happy with how it works and as long as I continue to represent England I’ll be happy.”