After playing three 50-over matches in Bangladesh with an eye on this year’s ODI World Cup. England will now play three 20-over encounters with the same goal in mind. Shorter format, similar conditions (in fact, Thursday’s first T20 will be contested on the same pitch at Chattogram’s Zaheer Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium as the previous, low-scoring ODI), and a similar focus.
“It does feel a little bit odd, playing a format that isn’t overly necessary right now,” Chris Woakes said on Tuesday. “However, you are competing for England and you want to win.”
Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, said of this series that “you can’t waste these opportunities on the subcontinent and the preponderance of players are pushing for ODI selection … Therefore, it’s probably more focused on the ODI World Cup.”
Jason Roy and James Vince have left the group, while Ben Duckett and Chris Jordan have joined.
The former has flown in from the Test tour of New Zealand to press his case as a white-ball batter in the subcontinent, a case he made so impressively in the T20 series in Pakistan last year, averaging 46.6 with a strike rate of 158.2.
Due to Will Jacks’ return home to recover from a thigh injury, the team is short on batters. Who can all expect to participate in every game while the bowlers rotate. Only Jofra Archer missed Tuesday’s exercise session after Monday’s final ODI. This shows England’s cautious approach to his return from numerous injuries. But it does not prevent him from playing in the first match.
This is Woakes’ last chance to hone his skills in these conditions before the World Cup in October, as he opted out of the Indian Premier League to return to Warwickshire and press his case for inclusion in England’s red-ball team for the Ashes. “There are many flat pitches in India,” he said, “but on spinning wickets, you must try various things.
“As bowlers, we utilized cutters a great deal earlier than usual in ODIs.
Even the players who have played in these conditions previously will benefit from the experience. You simply cannot get enough of that.”
Woakes missed the entire summer of 2022 due to a knee injury and has not played for the Test team since March of last year, when he endured 93.5 overs in three matches in the West Indies, resulting in the knee injury. “In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have played the final Test when I was creaking and my body was aching,” he said, “but when you get the opportunity to play for England, you take it.”
He has therefore missed the team’s subsequent revolution under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, but with the Ashes series beginning at Edgbaston, his home ground, and moving on to Lord’s, where he has taken 27 wickets at an average of 11.33 in five matches, his focus will soon shift to forcing his way back into that side.
“I would love to be a part of it, and I still believe my reputation in England is comparable to anyone’s,” he said.
“If I can get myself red-ball conditioned, firing, and bowling well, I hope to be competitive. I recognize that this is a difficult team to break into. But I have a chance to make an impression at the beginning of the season.”
As a result, he has decided not to add to his three IPL campaigns. As he has previously struggled to quickly readjust to home conditions after they conclude. “Whenever I’ve returned from the IPL in the past. I don’t feel like I’ve returned in the greatest shape for the Test summer,” Woakes said.
“I found the transition from Twenty20 to Test cricket to be quite difficult. Batsmen are treated differently. It’s challenging for bowlers and all-rounders to go from tournament to tournament and still play for England.”
