Chris Woakes, who picked up 2/19 in the first innings, continued his impressive work in the Test, this time with the bat, as his unbeaten 120 off 159 balls provided England with a lead of 250 runs on the third day of the second Test against India on Saturday, 11 August. He came in to bat when England were 131/5. En route his measured century, Woakes not only stitched England’s record sixth-wicket stand against India at Lord’s – 189 runs – with Jonny Bairstow (93), but also powered his side to 357/6.
The all-rounder was out for six weeks with a knee injury he picked up during the Pakistan series in June, and returned to the Test side only as a replacement for Ben Stokes.
“It’s a sweet day, really. I was over the moon to get the call to be back in the squad and I could never have dreamed of getting a hundred in my comeback Test,” said Woakes after the end of play.
“To get to a hundred was an incredible feeling and I was getting a bit nervous through the 90s, to be honest. To receive a standing ovation at Lord’s is a bit of a boyhood dream.”
“It would’ve been nice to have had a little bit more red-ball cricket under my belt (before the Test) but I definitely felt I was ready from the mental side of things if called upon. Obviously coming in instead of Ben Stokes, it’s quite big boots to fill, but I try not to play like him, I try to play like myself and hopefully I’ve done a job so far.”
There’s something about Woakes at Lord’s. The all-rounder averages 121 with the bat and 9.93 with the ball at the home of cricket but looks like he’d not been keeping track of his magical numbers. “I don’t know to be honest,” he said.
“Obviously, I’ve had a couple of good games here in the past. I don’t know whether it’s the surface or the conditions or I’ve just hit form at the right time. The slope gives you a little bit more to work with as a bowler and I feel like I’ve bowled well from the Nursery End here.”
