Five-star Chris Woakes fires England back into the running at Lord’s after Pakistan earn 67-run 1st-innings lead
Medium-pacer tames tourists' mid-order on day 3 of opener
CHRIS WOAKES continued his astonishing upward journey as an England cricketer and completed an eleven-wicket haul in the First Test.
Woakes has so far taken 5-31 - to add to his 6-70 in the first innings as well as 35 not out – and has suddenly become one of the most important names on England’s team sheet.
Just six months ago, the Warwickshire all-rounder wondered if he’d ever play again after a disastrous Test tour of South Africa that sapped his confidence and reputation.
But he is oozing self-belief these days and, when Ben Stokes and James Anderson come back into England’s team for the next match at Old Trafford, the men discarded will not include Woakes.
His contribution has kept England in contention in the Investec First Test against Pakistan and a thrilling finish at Lord’s looks likely.
Pakistan finished day three with 214-8 - a lead of 281and it is anybody’s guess who will win from here.
Woakes is the perfect, low-maintenance, does-as-he-is-told cricketer. He works hard, never gets into trouble and is an all-round nice bloke.
“My sex and drugs shame – by Chris Woakes,” is among the least likely newspaper headlines you will ever read!
That is not to say he is not a strong competitor.
He has put on a yard of pace during the past two years and he is finally showing his ability with the bat at Test level.
Woakes was the most threatening and successful bowler as Pakistan, building on a first innings lead of 67, were kept in check.
Woakes was probing, accurate, quickish and gained sufficient movement to trouble all the batsmen. He was comfortably England’s best bowler and, for the second time in two days, raised the ball to the crowd in recognition of a five-for.
England were helped, too, by a major brain fade from Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq who tried to whack his second delivery over the Tavern Stand but succeeded only in holing out to Alex Hales at deep mid-wicket.
If he performed ten press-ups for reaching a century in the first innings, he should do a thousand now as a punishment.
Whatever England’s target turns out to be, it is going to be a tough chase against wrist-spinner Yasir Shah and on a pitch becoming more and more uneven.
It is going to be a major examination for the middle-order duo of James Vince and Gary Ballance, who are already under pressure following, respectively, a string a failures this summer and a surprise recall.
Yasir has already done his bit with the bat, helping wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed put on fifty for seventh wicket. They are priceless runs in the context of such a tight match and Yasir will resume this morning with 30 to his name.
When Pakistan batted a second time, Stuart Broad soon removed the flighty Mohammad Hafeez, who guided a catch to second slip.
Woakes had left-hander Shan Masood held at first slip and then pinned Azhar Ali leg before.
Misbah self-combusted and Younis Khan, the veteran run machine, jumped around as though the crease was covered in hot coals.
He survived two DRS looks and plenty of other hairy moments before dragging onto his stumps for 25, eked out from 95 deliveries.
Asad Shafiq batted beautifully for 49 before being cleaned up by a cracker from Woakes.
And Woakes completed his ten-for in the match when Sarfraz feathered an edge and Jonny Bairstow, who had dropped Sarfraz a couple of overs earlier, held on.
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Woakes still hadn’t finished. A short one did for Wahab Riaz, who ducked but couldn’t stop the ball flying off his glove to a grateful Bairstow.
At the start of the day, England managed to extend their overnight total of 253-7 to just 272 all out.
Broad fell to the old three-card trick of bouncer, bouncer, yorker. Steven Finn was lbw – giving Yasir his sixth wicket – and Jake Ball was run out trying to get Woakes back on strike.
Woakes looked calm and untroubled throughout his innings and would take centre stage once more when England bowled.
Chris Woakes…no longer just the man whose name rhymes with Ben Stokes.