England all-rounder Chris Woakes revealed Friday he was mourning the death of his father as he explained his recent absence from cricket.
The 35-year-old did not feature for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League and, at the end of April was left out of reigning champions England’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Warwickshire favourite Woakes, in a social media post, wrote: “The last month has been the most challenging of my life when unfortunately my dad passed away at the beginning of May.
“I’ve spent the last few weeks with the people most important to me, my family. We’re all obviously grieving and trying to get through what is undoubtedly the hardest moment in our lives. It’s times like this that perspective is at its greatest.”
Woakes, who helped England win the 2019 50-over World Cup, added: “I will be back playing cricket for Warwickshire, who my dad loved dearly, when the time is right for me and my family.
“I know playing cricket for Warwickshire and England made my dad incredibly proud. I look forward to doing that again in the near future.”
Woakes has made over 200 appearances for England across all three international formats, with his tally including 48 Test caps.
After the T20 World Cup, England will be back in red-ball mode with the first of a three-Test series against the West Indies starting at Lord’s on July 10.
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