England allrounder claims career-best haul following selection in the Test squad to take on Sri Lanka
Woakes celebrates Test recall in style
Allrounder Chris Woakes celebrated his England Test squad recall by taking a career-best 9-36 for Warwickshire in their County Championship clash with Durham.
Just hours after finding out he’d be replacing an injured Ben Stokes in England’s squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka beginning on Friday, Woakes almost single-handedly dismissed Durham for 190 at Edgbaston.
Full scorecard: Warwickshire v Durham
With Woakes now vying with pace bowler Jake Ball for a place in the final XI for the match at Chester-le-Street, it’s a performance that is also sure to have Sri Lanka worried after they struggled to combat England’s swing bowling in their innings-and-88-run first Test thrashing at Headingley which ended inside three days.
💯 last week & 9 wickets today for @WarwickshireCCC. @chriswoakes is back in the Test squad!https://t.co/ungUqwhHJp
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 23, 2016
After his first six overs went for 17 runs with no reward on Monday, Woakes then took 9-19 from his next 14.
Woakes was then given an opportunity to open for Warwickshire in their second innings – with the allrounder due to travel to Durham at the end of the second day’s play to join up with his England teammates – but was not so successful with the bat, dismissed for four as Warwickshire ended the day’s play at 2-15.
Oh wow @chriswoakes see you in Durham 2moro! pic.twitter.com/sLvspjBMZB
— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) May 23, 2016
His bowling figures were the best by a Warwickshire player since the late Jack Bannister took 10-41 in 1959 and eclipsed his previous first of 7-20 in 2011.
The 27-year-old’s Test recall comes after an impressive start to the County Championship.
He has taken 23 wickets at 17.78 in seven innings and scored a century while captaining his team in Ian Bell's absence in last week's win over Nottinghamshire.
"I just hit my rhythm. I got the wicket of Mark Stoneman and after that felt really good. I probably felt as good as I have all year so it's nice to be in that rhythm going into a Test squad,” Woakes told the BBC on Monday.
"To get a five-for was nice but then to finish it off with nine was pretty special. But there was some really good work done at the other end. It just happened to be my day to take the wickets.
"It just clicked from that end after lunch. I didn't try to do anything different to what I normally do but it was fortunately just my day. The ball swung all day which was nice.”
In other County Championship action, Somerset captain Chris Rogers was dismissed for 109 early on day two of his side’s clash with Middlesex at Lord’s.
Somerset were bowled out for 376 before Middlesex reached 0-139 at stumps, with Australia Test batsman Adam Voges down to come in at No.4 for the hosts.
In Division Two, Western Australian batsman Michael Klinger scored an unbeaten half-century as he put Gloucestershire in a commanding position in Bristol.
Klinger will resume on 62 on day three, with Gloucestershire 4-240 in reply to Northamptonshire’s 176.