Former England captain Nasser Hussain applauded bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes for his vital cameo on Day 4 of the Headingley Test. He also believes that the knock changed the momentum of the match in England’s favour as well. While Chasing 251 for victory on Sunday, July 9 in the third Ashes 2023 Test, England were struggling at 171/6. However, Woakes (32*) and Harry Brook (75 off 93) added 59 runs for the seventh wicket and England sealed the deal.
In his column for The Daily Mail, Hussain wrote: “When I saw Chris Woakes coming out to bat with England still requiring 80 runs and just four wickets standing, my immediate thought was: This is not done. Australia were on top at that stage but Woakes is a fabulous all-round cricketer, someone who can play positively without being gung-ho and he changed the momentum of the match once more. Yes, he swayed and backed away a little bit, but I don’t mind the lower order playing some shots as it can put the opposition on the back foot.”
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The veteran also credited Woakes for learning from his mistake in the first innings when he came out to bat in the second innings as well. Hussain shared:
“Crucially, he also showed he’d learned from his mistake of the first innings when he fatally hooked Mitchell Starc to the biggest boundary on the ground despite several fielders being posted there, by getting to the off-side of the ball and fending it for singles. Everything about that seventh-wicket partnership of 59 runs with Harry Brook was spot on, in fact.”
While talking about the win for England, Hussain stated that the Headingley Test proved the hosts can claim 20 wickets if they get the right conditions as well.
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“Equally, this match showed that England have a bowling unit – Woakes very much at the fore – that can secure 20 wickets given the right conditions. The performances from Stuart Broad, Mark Wood and Woakes to dismiss Australia on the third evening were phenomenal. What we saw was Brook going back to being that positive, attacking player, not the reckless one we witnessed at Lord’s. There, he seemed to believe the hype that if you’re given license, you can go out and play any cricket shot despite any number of fielders being posted back on the boundary. Here, he showed he had learned a lesson and got his tempo absolutely right. Scoring 75 off 93 balls is not exactly blocking,” Nasser Hussain concluded.
