Chris Woakes wasn’t happy with the third umpire’s decision. It was the 11th over of the first morning at Edgbaston when the pace bowler was certain he had picked up his second wicket when a nip-backer from him hit Karun Nair’s backpad. Although the impact was outside the off-stump, Nair had offered judgment to the delivery. Woakes was fully convinced that it was out and urged Ben Stokes to take the call upstairs.
However, Woakes’s reaction stemmed from what the TV replay revealed next: the ball had only hit the top of the off-stump, leading to on-field umpire Sharfuddoula’s original decision being upheld as well. He later said that in such cases, the decision ought to go in the bowler’s favour as well.
“I need to be careful: I’ve had some [decisions] go my way over the years,” Woakes said in the press conference at the end of the day. “In general, DRS has been good for the game. A lot more right decisions are given [than before]. The only thing I would like to come in is that if a batsman decides to leave the ball and it’s still hitting the stumps, I think that should be out – regardless if it’s clipping or not.”
“We could have easily had them 30 for 3,” Woakes said. “It was a pretty frustrating morning, really. Obviously emotions run high when you are desperate to do well for the team, do well for yourself and it would’ve been nice… had those decisions gone our way, the day looks completely different, but that is Test cricket and we move on.”
However, after a forgettable return to the Test side in Leeds, Chris Woakes enjoyed an effective first day’s play in Edgbaston, where he finished with figures of 2-59 in 21 overs as well. The performance was special, coming as it did at his home venue as well.
“It felt like the stumps were in play all day,” Woakes said. “It didn’t feel like a massive nick-off wicket, to be honest; it didn’t feel like it had the pace in it for that… It was something which we were looking for. Basically, it was trying to find the right length that allowed you to be full enough not to get driven, but still bring the stumps into play.”
“Across a career, you don’t get that many games at your home venue: this is my fourth Test match here. They are really special weeks. You have a lot of friends and family in the ground, and I’ve got a lot of love for Warwickshire which goes deep. It’s all I’ve ever known… There’s a lot of people behind the scenes who support you through the good times and the bad,” Chris Woakes concluded.
