OTD Chris Woakes Born: England Cricketer, All-Rounder, Ashes Hero

Chris Woakes signed off his 15-year international career as one of England’s most reliable seam-bowling all-rounders. Woakes retired at the age of 36 after a shoulder injury curtailed his final summer.

Born on March 2, 1989, Woakes made his First-Class debut for Warwickshire in August 2006 at just 17. By 2008, he had already topped Warwickshire’s bowling charts with 42 wickets at an average of 20.57. His performances earned him a spot with England Lions and eventually an international debut in a T20I against Australia in January 2011. Weeks later, he produced ODI figures of 6/45 at Brisbane, still among the best by an English bowler in the format.

In 62 Test matches, he claimed 192 wickets at an average of 29.61, including five five-wicket hauls and a best match figure of 11/102. With the bat, he scored 2034 Test runs at 25.11, including a maiden century (137*). In ODIs, he picked up 173 wickets in 122 matches, alongside 1524 runs at a strike rate of 89.12. In T20Is, he bagged 31 wickets from 33 games.

While his overseas Test average (61.77 at one stage) showed his struggles with the ball away from home, Woakes was formidable in English conditions. His breakthrough came in 2016 against Pakistan at Lord’s, where he took 11/102 in the match and scored important runs, becoming the first England bowler since Ian Botham in 1978 to take a five-for in each innings of a Lord’s Test. He finished that series with 26 wickets at 16.73, a record for an England-Pakistan series. Meanwhile, after the disappointment of the 2015 World Cup exit, he was part of their victorious 2019 ODI World Cup.

At the domestic level, his First-Class tally stands at 628 wickets and 6,804 runs. He also featured in global T20 leagues, including the IPL, BBL, and The Hundred. Woakes’ career was impacted by setbacks, such as injuries, competition from the likes of Ben Stokes, and periods out of the central contract, which saw him in and out of the team.

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