New Delhi: England pacer Chris Woakes is looking forward to shoulder the responsibility of the senior bowler in England’s Test side after the recent retirement of James Anderson. The Burnley-born Anderson bowed out of Test cricket after England trounced West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in the first Test at Lord’s.
With 188 Tests and 704 wickets to his name, Anderson put curtains on his illustrious career as England’s most capped player and leading wicket-taker with the red ball. The legacy left by the 41-year-old will be arduous for his successors to match in the decades to come given that Test cricket is an endangered entity of the game.
However, England’s new-ball duties will shift to Warwickshire fast bowler Chris Woakes as England’s most experienced bowling pair of Anderson and Stuart Broad hanged their boots from the game. Speaking on his new role as a senior bowler in the team, Woakes told reporters, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo:
“Obviously, it’ll be slightly different if I was given the new ball. The majority of my career I’ve come on first-change so that’s something that I’ll maybe need to get my head around moving forward. Other than that, you try and deliver your skills and, whenever there is a new guy coming into the team, you still try and pass on a little bit of knowledge.”
“I’ve been around for long enough to be able to hopefully do that. Maybe I need to do that a little bit more now that Stu and Jim have finished – particularly on the field more so than off it. That’s probably the only big thing,” he added.
Chris Woakes to play his 50th Test against West Indies in Nottingham
Chris Woakes will don his 50th Test cap for England when they take on the West Indies in the second Test match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. It will be an apt moment for the 35-year-old to transition into his new role as the leader of England’s pace attack. He is likely to share the duties with Durham pacer Mark Wood, who replaced Anderson in the squad ahead of the second Test, which starts on July 18.
Surrey pacer Gus Atkinson, who registered the second best bowling figues (12 for 106) on his Test debut, will also be part of England’s new-brand pace attack, with the team management looking to groom him for the Ashes tour to Australia next year.
England pacer Chris Woakes is looking forward to shoulder the responsibility of the senior bowler in England’s Test side after the recent retirement of James Anderson. Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
