Chris Woakes returns to first-class action for the first time in two months in the county championship today but is unsure as to how big a part if any he will play in the forthcoming Tests against West Indies. The three-match series starts on Woakes’ home ground at Edgbaston on Thursday, August 17.
Woakes is among a number of England players for whom the resumption of the championship is significant, although Gary Ballance has not yet fully tested his fractured finger in practice and will not feature for Yorkshire, which given that Yorkshire sit out the next round means there is little chance of Ballance being considered for any of the West Indies Tests.
Woakes is realistic about his own chances. “When you’ve been injured for the time that I have, it’s difficult to say that this weekend is going to go perfectly and then all of a sudden I’m in [England] contention,” he said. “Fingers crossed that’s the case, but I’m just hoping I come through this game smoothly.
“If it goes fine, then I would hope to get myself into consideration for the Tests, but there are no guarantees. As a bowler, you can’t go into a Test trying to be looked after. I would have to be 100% fit and know I could potentially bowl 25 overs in a day.”
Woakes, England’s leading bowler in home Tests in 2016, has been told by the medics to limit himself to about 15 overs on the first day he bowls for Warwickshire against Middlesex at Lord’s to check for any adverse reaction. “If there are no issues,” he said, “I’m sure things will be cranked up pretty soon.”
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Woakes took part in a second XI game last week in which he bowled his first overs in a game since sustaining a left intercostal injury during England’s opening Champions Trophy game against Bangladesh on June 1. He managed to take two wickets during the 15 overs he bowled, though his opening spell was not without incident.
“Once you’re in a game you get that competitive edge again and you end up giving it a bit more ‘grunt’. The first couple of overs, there was a bit of jamming in the side — scar tissue which needs breaking down. The physios say that’s pretty normal and the more I bowl the less that will happen.
“It’s easy for the injury to recur and if that happened the rehab would be even longer
“It will be really good to get back out there again. It’s been two months and longer than originally thought, although once the scans were looked at properly, I was told it was going to be more like eight weeks than six. It’s been frustrating but it’s easy for the injury to recur and if that had happened the rehab would have been even longer.”
When Woakes returns to the Test side, he could find himself batting at No 9 despite having done well with the bat at eight, a position now occupied by Moeen Ali, although with England’s batting as fragile as it currently is another reshuffle cannot be discounted. As Woakes was injured when the round of day-night championship games took place, he has yet to play a competitive match with a pink ball, which is to be used in the Edgbaston Test.
Warwickshire are in need of Woakes’ help: they are still without a victory in the championship and are in grave danger of relegation unless they can turn things around. “It’s important we try and play positive cricket and get a couple of wins because otherwise it’s looking gloomy,” he said. “It’s a tough division and if you’re not playing well you get found out.”
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Ballance’s absence is one of several problems facing Yorkshire going into their pivotal clash against title-leaders Essex at Scarborough. With Yorkshire trailing by 38 points and having played a game more than Essex, they realistically need to win today’s game as well as the one between the sides at Chelmsford in September. But Liam Plunkett and Shaun Marsh are also doubtful and Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow are on Test duty.
Another big clash today is between second-placed Lancashire and third-placed Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl, with the focus on 20-year-old Haseeb Hameed as he attempts to rediscover some form for Lancashire and present himself as a viable alternative to Keaton Jennings as Test opener.
Hameed has kept himself in practice in recent weeks with Lancashire’s second team and Formby in the Liverpool and District competition. He has remained in close contact with the England batting coach Mark Ramprakash and was working with him in the Old Trafford nets on Friday, when he also spent time in the England dressing-room.
Mark Stoneman, another contender, plays for Surrey at Taunton tomorrow. Jake Ball is fit for Notts at Derby but Mark Wood misses Durham’s match at Leicester.
Lancashire, unbeaten in 28 championship matches against Hampshire, are the side best-placed to catch Essex but if Essex were to win twice more to give them seven victories in 14 games they would be hard to stop. Since 2000, only two teams have won half their fixtures and not taken the title — Hampshire in 2005 and Warwickshire in 2011.
