In recent times, England have had the luxury of bowlers who are capable with the bat in Test matches, and players who add more overall depth to their squad. Chris Woakes, the right-art medium-pacer is one such player who is primarily a medium pacer but is a handy batter. Perhaps that’s the reason Woakes keeps finding his way back into England’s Test playing XI despite his indifferent form at home and in away conditions.
Since his debut, with a cut-off of a minimum of 20 Test wickets, only four bowlers have had a better bowling average in England. Only James Anderson averages better (20.76) than Woakes’ 22.63 at home for England. In terms of bowling strike rate, Woakes is the best England bowler, striking every 44.5 balls. Only Pat Cummins has a better strike rate of 43.6. Despite the presence of Anderson and Stuart Broad in the lineup, Woakes’ record at home has always helped his cause in pushing for a place in the Test XI.
But when England travel abroad, Woakes has failed to provide similar levels of penetration and control. Outside of England, Woakes averages over 50 in all countries except Bangladesh – he has only bowled 25 overs in Bangladesh. His best average outside England is in New Zealand (50.5), whereas his worst average is in West Indies (110), where England are currently playing a Test series.
Conditions in England aid Woakes and his type of bowling. Woakes usually operates in the mid 130s (kph), and with a good seam position, he can generate a good amount of swing, a factor that’s found in abundance in England. Because of these conditions, he is most likely to get away with balls that aren’t spot on target, as the extravagant movement of the ball creates doubt in the batter’s mind.
But outside of England and in conditions where the conventional swing isn’t too easy to generate, Woakes has struggled a lot. Unlike Anderson, Woakes doesn’t have great control over his line and lengths and lacks discipline and consistency. As a result, he is unable to exert sustained pressure on batters in conditions that aren’t too conducive for his skillset.
In the ongoing series against West Indies, Woakes has been quite ordinary. Although the ball used in West Indies is of the same make that’s used in England – the Dukes ball – he has been unable to create any issues for the batters. A big reason for this has been his impatient bowling. Woakes has been guilty of bowling six different balls in an over, meaning he hasn’t been accurate enough with his lines and lengths, and that has helped West Indian batters to rotate strike or even score boundaries off him.
Outside of England, Woakes has played most Test matches in Australia (seven), and his strike rate is a towering 95.8. What’s worse is that his strike rate in Australia is his fourth-worst outside England. Despite playing multiple matches in Australia, his lack of pace has been his biggest enemy in those conditions. The Kookaburra ball used in Australia doesn’t swing much either, and that has reduced his effectiveness even further.
Despite his extremely poor record as a bowler in Test matches outside of England, Woakes regularly manages to find a place in England’s playing XI. A major reason for that is his batting ability and the all-round angle that he provides. In 43 Test matches, Woakes has scored 1581 runs, with six fifty+ scores, including a century.
Woakes is England’s gem at home but has increasingly become a liability playing away. His primary skill has often been overshadowed by his secondary skill, and that can only be a consolation for England and not a promising aspect. Woakes needs to find ways to improvise and adapt to various conditions outside of home conditions to become a regular in England’s XI, both at home and away, else he’ll just be labeled as a home-track bully.