When the opportunity arose, Chris Woakes really stood up, says Brendon McCullum
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espite playing only three Ashes Tests, fast-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes was named player of the series in the recently concluded Ashes and England head coach Brendon McCullum lauded him for standing up when the opportunity came to deliver for the team.
Woakes came into the playing XI from the third Ashes Test at Headingley to finish with 19 wickets at an average of 18. He was also instrumental with the bat in England winning at Headingley, being not out on 32 alongside Mark Wood's 16 not out in a successful chase of 251 to keep the series alive and set the base for a 2-2 series scoreline.
"He's been around the game for a long period of time -– I guess with Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad there, two of the game's greatest ever fast bowlers, his opportunities have been slightly limited. But when it arose, he really stood up and performed brilliantly alongside Mark Wood. Those two are great mates as well, they made a significant impact on the series," said McCullum to SENZ Radio.
He also said England's change in playing style since he took over also gave the hosts confidence of putting in strong performances against Australia. "From our side of things, we were just trying to make sure our messaging was consistent with what we started out with."
"The skipper and I are very aligned with how we like to go about things and that didn't change right throughout. But I think if anything, our confidence levels rose knowing that we were capable of going toe-to-toe with Australia."
"The whole last two months has been an awesome ride -– we went 2-nil down in the series, which put us under a little bit of pressure, but to respond the way we did, I was proud of all the boys and the way the skipper (Ben Stokes) was able to hold the fort for everyone when were under pressure. In the end, 2-2 was a great result and we were pleased with what we were able to serve up, particularly in the latter part of the series."
McCullum also appreciated recently retired fast-bowler Stuart Broad for being an integral member of the Test side.
"He almost got a hole-in-one! Imagine that he hit his last ball in Test cricket for six, he bowled his last ball and got a wicket. If he had gotten a hole-in-one today, it would've been the perfect trifecta."
He signed off by saying that England managed to block outside noise over Jonny Bairstow's controversial stumping by Alex Carey at Lord's. "I didn't read any of it, I think that's the greatest recipe -– you do the cryptic crossword rather than reading the sporting news, that certainly helps."
"Any messaging should come from within, rather than from those on the outside. We get the benefit of watching these guys work day in and day out -– therefore if they want any feedback, we're in the best place to give it."
England's next Test assignment is a five-match series trip to India from January 25 to March 11 next year, with Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala being the venues.
✔️ When the opportunity arose, Chris Woakes really stood up, says Brendon McCullum
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