Chris Woakes Archives

Chris Woakes’ last-ball six sends Sylhet Titans into BPL Qualifier 2

MIRPUR: Chris Woakes held his nerve under pressure, smashing a six off the final delivery to guide Sylhet Titans to a dramatic victory over Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025-26 Eliminator at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing a modest target of 112, the Titans sealed the contest on the final ball, with Woakes clearing the ropes off Faheem Ashraf to complete a tense run chase and book a place in Qualifier 2.

Sylhet will now face the losing side of Qualifier 1 between Rajshahi Warriors and Chattogram Royals.

The chase began shakily for the Titans as they lost an early wicket, but Parvez Hossain Emon (18) and Ariful Islam (17) steadied the innings with a 36-run partnership for the second wicket.

Later, Sam Billings and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz adopted a cautious approach, adding 50 runs for the middle order.

Billings top-scored with 29, while Miraz chipped in with a valuable 18 as Sylhet inched closer to the target.

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The match came down to a tense final over, with nine runs needed and Faheem Ashraf entrusted with the ball.

Faheem conceded two runs off the first delivery before bowling two dot balls to swing the momentum back in Rangpur’s favour. Moeen Ali was dismissed on the fourth ball, leaving Sylhet needing seven runs from the final two deliveries.

Woakes, however, rose to the occasion and launched the final delivery for a six, sparking celebrations in the Sylhet camp and ending Rangpur’s campaign.

Earlier, Rangpur Riders struggled with the bat and were restricted to 111-9 in their 20 overs, courtesy of a disciplined bowling display by the Titans.

Mahmudullah was the top scorer with a composed 33 off 26 balls, hitting two boundaries and two sixes. Khushdil Shah provided late impetus with a brisk 30 off 19 deliveries, including three sixes, while Nurul Hasan added 18.

Khaled Ahmed led the attack with impressive figures of 4 for 14, while Woakes and Nasum Ahmed picked up two wickets apiece.

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Chris Woakes announces retirement from international cricket

England all-rounder Chris Woakes has called time on his international career after missing out on Ashes 2025 selection.

Woakes’ last appearance for England came against India in the fifth Test at the Oval, where he dislocated his shoulder. However, the pacer still came out to bat with a sling in his armpit.

Following the injury, the pacer was in a race against time to be fit for the Ashes; however, he was left out of the squad, which drew a curtain on his career.

The right-arm pacer took to his social media handle and announced his retirement, expressing pride in representing the Three Lions in a career spanning 15 years.

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“The moment has come, and I’ve decided that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket,” Woakes said in a statement.

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“Playing for England was something I aspired to do since I was a kid dreaming in the back garden, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived out those dreams.

He thanked his teammates with whom he shared the field with the greatest pride while confirming that he will continue to play county cricket.

Representing England, wearing the Three Lions and sharing the field with teammates over the last 15 years, many of whom have become lifelong friends, are things I’ll look back on with the greatest pride.”

Chris Woakes played 62 Tests for England, picking up 192 wickets at an average of 29.61. In ODIs, Woakes appeared for England 122 times, scalping 173 wickets. He also played 33 T20Is and has 31 wickets to his name.

The all-rounder remained a vital cog in England’s 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup triumph.

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Chris Woakes opts for rehab in bid for Ashes return

England paceman Chris Woakes is considering rehabilitation rather than surgery on his dislocated shoulder in a last-ditch bid to make himself available for the upcoming Ashes tour of Australia.

Woakes bravely came out to bat at number 11 with his arm in a sling on Monday in a desperate attempt to help England secure victory in the fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval after dislocating his left shoulder while diving in the field on the first day of the match.

But Woakes’ courageous effort was not enough as India won a thrilling match by six runs, without the Warwickshire stalwart facing a ball, to end the series all square at 2-2.

It seemed then that Woakes’ hopes of being involved in England’s quest to regain the Ashes had evaporated.

The 36-year-old has had a scan on his shoulder and, although he is still awaiting the results, he is holding out hope that an eight-week period of rehabilitation could ensure he makes an astonishing recovery to feature in the Ashes, which start on November 21.

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“I’m waiting to see what the extent of the damage is, but I think the options will be to have surgery or to go down a rehab route and try and get it as strong as possible,” Woakes told the BBC on Friday.

“I suppose, naturally, with that, there will be a chance of a recurrence, but I suppose that could be a risk that you’re just willing to take, sort of thing.

“What I’ve heard from physios and specialists is that the rehab of a surgery option would be closer to four months, or three to four months. That’s obviously touching on the Ashes and Australia, so it makes it tricky.

“From a rehab point of view, you can probably get it strong again within eight weeks. So that could be an option, but again, obviously, still waiting to get the full report on it.”

Chris Woakes, a veteran of 62 Tests, is the most experienced member of England’s pace attack following the retirement of Stuart Broad two years ago and the team management’s decision to move on from record wicket-taker James Anderson in 2024.

But even before his injury at the Oval, doubts had been expressed over whether England would select Woakes for the Ashes, given his Test bowling average overseas is an expensive 48.93 compared to 23.87 on home soil.

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WATCH: Chris Woakes comes out to bat with fractured shoulder against India

England pacer Chris Woakes, on Monday, defied a shoulder injury and came out to bat with his left arm in a sling against India in the fifth Test at the Oval.

Woakes was ruled out of the Test due to an injury on day two of the match while saving a boundary.

However, the pacer decided to put his body on the line for his team in a bid to chase a record 374 runs at The Oval.

The Three Lions started their Day 5 needing 35 runs with four wickets in hand. Meanwhile, India pacer Mohammed Siraj ripped through England’s lower order.

As a result, England were 357-9 and forced Chris Woakes to come out and bat at No. 11.

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As Woakes walked out through the dressing-room, the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his courage and grit.

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Gus Atkinson (17) faced many of the balls that prevented Chris Woakes from facing India bowlers; however, he was seen in pain while running between the wickets.

Atkinson was the last England batter to fall as India sealed a six-run victory in the final Test to level the series 2-2.

Defending 374, India bundled England for 367, with Siraj taking 5-104, to level the five-match series 2-2. This was also India’s narrowest winning margin in a Test match.

Ben Stokes, England captain, lauded the efforts demonstrated by both India and the Three Lions players throughout the series.

“Unbelievable, yes, but it was never going to be a question,” he said.

To go out there, running between the wickets, but we’ve had guys, Rishabh [Pant], broken foot, Bash [Shoaib Bashir] with a broken finger, and Chris going out there with a recently dislocated shoulder. It shows how much energy and effort has been put into this series,” the England captain concluded.

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Blow for England as key player ruled out of remainder of final India Test

LONDON: England key pacer Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the fifth Test against India after suffering a shoulder dislocation during the opening day of the match at the Oval.

The 36-year-old injured himself in an attempt to stop a boundary on Thursday, resulting in an awkward landing. After his attempt, he looked in utter discomfort and left the field.

Chris Woakes’ injury was assessed overnight and before the start of play on day two. After his assessment, England confirmed that he will not feature in the remainder of the Test match.

The injury has further put the England team in deep trouble after they decided to put a fresh bowling attack in a bid to win the series.

The inexperienced attack comprising Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Jamie Overton was led by Chris Woakes in the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.

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However, Gus Atkinson stood up with a five-wicket haul, helping England bundle out India for a modest 224-run total.

Karun Nair top-scored for India with 57 off 109 balls, ending a 3149-day wait for his half-century in the format after scoring a mammoth triple century against the same team.

For England, Gus Atkinson starred with the ball, bowling a fiery spell, taking five wickets for just 33 runs in 21.4 overs.

At the time of filing this story, England were 109-1 in only 16 overs at Lunch, with Zak Crawley (52) and captain Ollie Pope (12) unbeaten on the crease.

Earlier, England’s openers forged a belligerent opening stand, scoring 92 runs in only 12.5 overs. Ben Duckett remained the core aggressor, who made 43 from 38 balls with the aid of two sixes and five fours.

For India, Akash Deep picked up one wicket in seven overs and gave away 46 runs.

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Chris Woakes clarifies ‘King Babar’ remark on Wiaan Mulder post

England pacer Chris Woakes has broken his silence on the viral ‘King Babar’ comment he left on Wiaan Mulder’s Instagram, clarifying that it was nothing more than a friendly joke and had no intention of mocking former Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

Speaking on a YouTube podcast alongside fellow cricketer Moeen Ali, Woakes addressed the controversy after being asked about the origins of the now-infamous nickname.

“I played with Wiaan Mulder in the South African league, and during the Test series in Pakistan, there had been a bit of an exchange between him and Babar Azam,” Woakes recalled.

He explained that the incident sparked a flood of comments from Pakistani fans on Mulder’s posts, with many sarcastically calling him ‘King Babar.’

Woakes, seeing the humor in it, decided to join the banter by commenting the same.

“It was just light-hearted fun. We used to joke about it in the dressing room too. But when I commented ‘King Babar’ on one of Wiaan’s photos, fans completely misread it,” he said.

Woakes was quick to clarify that the comment was never intended as a dig at Babar Azam.

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“I didn’t mean anything against Babar. The comment was meant in jest, but fans misinterpreted it as a dig at their captain. They even started targeting me in the comments, calling me ‘King Babar’ sarcastically,” he added.

He wrapped up the discussion by reiterating that the incident was a case of online miscommunication and nothing personal.

“I completely understand the passion of the fans, but the whole thing was just a misunderstanding,” he concluded.

READ: Wiaan Mulder breaks Hashim Amla’s record with historic triple century

WATCH: Chris Woakes makes Nasser Hussain fall off his chair

LONDON: England pacer Chris Woakes made renowned commentator Nasser Hussain fall off his chair by bowling spin in the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Saturday.

The incident occurred in the seventh over of Sri Lanka’s first innings when the on-field umpires, due to bad light, told England captain Ollie Pope to bowl spin with Woakes two balls into his fourth over.

Consequently, Woakes had to make a surreal transition and decided to bowl as an off-spinner, leaving Joe Root in splits.

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Furthermore, in the balcony region, England’s regular Test captain Ben Stokes, who has been away from action due to an injury, looked shocked watching his frontline pacer bowling as an off-spinner.

However, what attracted fans’ attention the most was a video of Nasser Hussain falling from his chair in the commentary box.

“In the commentary box, Nasser almost fell off his chair. The effect of Chris Woakes’ off-spin,” former England captain Michael Atherton informed fans during commentary.

However, it is important to note that Nasser Hussain falling from his chair was not from the moment it was thought of and instead was a prank by Michael Atherton, in a bid to provide a comical moment in the aforementioned fixture.

He described it as Nasser Hussain feeling the effects of Chris Woakes’ spin bowling.

The right-arm pacer started well as a spinner, allowing only a single on his first two deliveries.

Chris Woakes, however, faltered on his third delivery as a spinner as he pitched the ball horribly short, allowing Kusal Mendis to pull it towards the fine-leg region for a four.

He reciprocated with an arm ball, which Mendis respectfully worked for a single towards deep cover.

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WATCH: Chris Woakes bowls spin in third Test against Sri Lanka

LONDON: Right-arm pacer Chris Woakes bowled as an off-spinner on Day 2 of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka here at The Oval on Saturday.

Consequently, Woakes had to make a surreal transition and decided to bowl as an off-spinner, leaving Joe Root in splits.

The right-arm pacer started well as a spinner, allowing only a single on his first two deliveries.

Chris Woakes, however, faltered on his third delivery as a spinner as he pitched the ball horribly short, allowing Kusal Mendis to pull it towards the fine-leg region for a four.

He reciprocated with an arm ball, which Mendis respectfully worked for a single towards deep cover.

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Soon after the end of the seventh over, it began lighter and the umpires allowed the resumption of pace bowling.

As a result, Chris Woakes resumed to bowl as a pacer and soon struck with an important scalp of Kusal Mendis, who managed to score 13 off 14 deliveries.

Chris Woakes set up Mendis with a good-length delivery in the channel and the ball, upon pitching, swung away just enough to take the shoulder of Mendis’ bat and flew to Harry Brook, who clung onto the chance in the slip cordon.

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When this story was filed Sri Lanka were 86/3 in 15 overs in response to England’s 325.

Interim captain Pope led England from the front with a marathon 154-run knock, followed by opening batter Ben Duckett, who made a brisk 86 up the order on the opening day.

The rest of the England batters struggled against Sri Lanka bowlers and could manage modest contributions.

Milan Rathnayake starred with the ball for Sri Lanka, picking up three wickets, while Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Dhananjaya de Silva bagged two wickets each.

READ: Ollie Pope becomes first batter in Test cricket history to set unique record

Ben Stokes backs Chris Woakes to help fill James Anderson void

England captain Ben Stokes believes “phenomenal” Chris Woakes can lead his team’s bowling attack as they start life without James Anderson as the new-ball spearhead.

Anderson retired from international duty following an innings and 114-run rout of the West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s last week.

The 41-year-old took 704 Test wickets — the most by any fast bowler in the format’s history — during an England-record 188 matches.

With Stuart Broad having retired after last year’s Ashes series against Australia, it means England are now without the pair’s combined 1,308 Test wickets as they head into the second Test at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

The match will also be the first time since 2012 that England have played a home Test without either Anderson or Broad.

But England still have seam-bowling experience in Chris Woakes, who will be playing his 50th Test this week.

The 35-year-old Warwickshire all-rounder averages an impressive 22.04 per wicket in red-ball internationals on home soil.

“I see it as an opportunity for someone like Woakesy to take on more of a leadership role in the bowling unit,” Stokes told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

“We’ve been so used to Jimmy and Broady doing that, so it’s a great opportunity for him. He’s a very experienced player and a phenomenal performer, particularly in England.

“It’s great for him to be able to lead the attack and 50 caps is a huge honour.”

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Stokes will also be able to call on express pace in both rising star Gus Atkinson and experienced Mark Wood. Atkinson took 12 wickets on his debut in Anderson’s farewell Test and hit speeds of 90mph (145kph).

While Wood has proved himself capable of even faster bowling and he is now set to be recalled as a replacement for Anderson in the only change to the England team from the first Test.

With England rebuilding ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes in Australia, Stokes is looking forward to having Atkinson and Wood at his disposal for the foreseeable future.

“It’s very exciting, the prospect of seeing Gus Atkinson bowl at one end and Mark Wood at the other,” said Stokes.

“Look at the way Gus bowled last week, it’s not only the 12 wickets, it’s finding another bowler who can bowl between 87-90mph.

“Woody is someone who had an unbelievable summer last year in the Ashes,” added Stokes, with his Durham team-mate taking 14 wickets in three matches as England fought back to draw the five-Test series 2-2.

“He was a massive player for us with a huge impact and everyone knows why — because of his pace.”

England could be forced into a late change if the partner of opening batsman Ben Duckett gives birth before Thursday’s toss, with Dan Lawrence on standby.

“There’s a plan in place for Ben and his partner,” said Stokes. “We’ll just have to make a decision if it was to happen before the game started.”

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Chris Woakes named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July 2023

DUBAI: Right-arm England pacer Chris Woakes got the reward for his sensational Ashes performance as he claimed the ICC Player of the Month award for July 2023.

Woakes overcame strong opposition from compatriot Zak Crawley and Netherlands’ star all-rounder Bas de Leede for the coveted award on the back of his superb performances for England in the recently-concluded Ashes.

“It’s very nice to have been voted ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July,” said Woakes in a statement released by the ICC.

“Everything we did in the Ashes was a team effort, and no individual awards would be possible without everyone else doing their job but it’s always nice to be recognised, especially when it’s a public vote,” said Woakes about the honour.

“It was a great series, and I’m just very happy that it captured the imagination and attention of the public so much. It was great to have so much support and it was a hugely enjoyable series to play in.”

Chris Woakes was not a part of England’s Playing XI for the first two matches and the hosts were 0-2 down heading into the third Test. England needed the incoming players to make an instant impact for them to stay alive in the series and Woakes did just that.

Woakes took three wickets in each innings in his first Test match in almost a year, including the prized scalps of Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja. He then followed his brilliant bowling performance with a match-winning 32-run knock in a thrilling run chase.

Chris Woakes concluded the Ashes on a high, bagging the Player of the Match award in the last Test at The Oval. The 34-year-old hit an important run-a-ball 36 in the first innings before causing trouble with the ball once more as England drew level in a dramatic fashion.

The right-arm pacer, despite managing to play only three matches, claimed the Player of the Series award for picking up 19 wickets at an average of 18.15 and scoring important 79 runs for his side.

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