Image source, Rex Features
- Author, Ged Scott
- Role, BBC Sport England
England all-rounder Chris Woakes is to play in Warwickshire’s next two County Championship games.
It will be Woakes’ first red-ball cricket in 10 months as he steps up his bid to be match fit for the forthcoming Test series against West Indies.
The first Test starts at Lord’s on 10 July, when England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson is scheduled to make his final appearance.
But, with Stuart Broad having retired last summer, Jofra Archer at the T20 World Cup and not scheduled to play any red-ball cricket this year, and Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton out injured, there is increased competition for places.
The 48-times capped Woakes, 35, has not featured for England in Tests since his match-winning performance against Australia to ensure a 2-2 series draw in the Ashes last August – when he was also voted man of the series for his 19-wicket haul.
He was part of England’s under-performing team at the World Cup in India and Pakistan in November, played in four out of five games in the T20 series defeat by West Indies prior to Christmas, then played for Sharjah Warriors in the International League T20 in January and February.
But Woakes was left out of England’s T20 World Cup squad and, following the death of his father, he took some time out until returning to play in two Birmingham Bears T20 Blast matches last week.
He has been rested for this week’s two Bears T20 games on Thursday and Friday but now has a chance to further go through his paces in the Championship matches against Hampshire at Edgbaston on Sunday and at Taunton against Somerset, starting on 30 June.
Woakes made the three most recent of his 99 first-class appearances for the Bears in May 2023 – but Sunday will be his 100th when he will be looking to add to his 364 wickets.
The next two rounds of Championship come following three weeks of the Blast.
That will then be followed by a 49-day break from red-ball cricket while the One-Day Cup is played before the Championship resumes on 22 August for its final five-week flourish.
But, with that first Test just around the corner, there are a number of England players likely to appear this weekend on Championship duty.
Anderson himself will almost certainly figure in at least one of Lancashire’s next two games, while England Test skipper Ben Stokes is likely to appear for Durham, spinner Jack Leach for Somerset, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes for Surrey, and both Ollie Robinsons, for Durham and Sussex respectively.
While the Durham version has hit 542 runs in six top-flight Championship matches this summer at an average of 77.42, the Sussex Robinson again bowled well in Thursday’s T20 win over Kent.
That prompted Sussex T20 skipper Tymal Mills to enthuse about both him and 29-year-old Archer, who has not played any red-ball cricket in over three years now but England still hope will be available for Test cricket in the future, having so far slotted back into the 20-over game following his long injury absences.
Image source, Rex Features
‘We’re ready for Jofra’ – Sussex T20 skipper Mills
“Ollie Robinson has been a massive bonus for us in this competition,” Mills told BBC Radio Sussex.
“He’s a high-class and highly skilled bowler. He moves the ball, he seams it, he swings it, he knows what lengths to hit, and he’s not going for any runs in the powerplay.
“We’ll find out soon whether we’ll have him for the rest of the Blast, or whether he’s in the Test squad.
“And hopefully we’ll get Jofra back as well for a few games after the World Cup, and then we’ve got a pretty tasty bowling attack.
” I’m putting it out there, on record, that I want Jofra back. Jofra – we’re ready for you.”
Image source, Rex Features
Sunday’s County Championship fixtures
Chelmsford: Essex v Durham
Canterbury: Kent v Lancashire
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Somerset
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Hampshire
Worcester: Worcestershire v Surrey
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Northamptonshire
Lord’s: Middlesex v Derbyshire
Hove: Sussex v Leicestershire
Scarborough: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire