If you’re a fast bowler expecting a lick of mercy from the Edgbaston pitch this week, think again – we all know that even Chris Woakes, by far England’s most experienced seamer in the restructured attack, isn’t going to make any excuses for them. “It’s going to be another demanding week for the bowlers, I think,” he said. And when Woakes, the ‘Wizard of Edgbaston’, is this cautious, you know to watch out. With England locking horns with India in the second Test, the runs are flowing faster than pints on a Friday night in Birmingham — expectations are soaring, and the bowlers better gear up for another brutal workout.
Leading the Attack Without the Legends
As Stuart Broad calls it a day and James Anderson watches everything unfold in the 40s, the baton has indeed changed hands. At 36, Chris Woakes finds himself as the elder statesman of England’s pace pack, steering a new-generation attack with calm authority. And no, he’s not going to pull an Anderson and bowl into his 40s. But he is enjoying the privilege of serving as England’s elder statesman.
Almost all of Woakes’ international cricket has come under the watchful eye of two of England’s greatest seamers of the past. Woakes says that he is not just giving advice to the younger names like Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, but also learning from them. “You are always on that road of learning,” he said. It is this humbleness which goes some way to explaining how Woakes has stayed so consistent, particularly at home, with a bowling average of under 23.
Edgbaston Awaits – And So Do the Batting Feasts
Let’s go back to Leeds. The mean surface at Headingly was a bowler’s dream! During the five days of play, the teams scored a combined total of 1673 runs, and India registered five hundreds. Somehow, England managed to take 20 wickets and then win the game after a successful chase and through their now ‘no problem’ self-belief to triumph in the chase.
This is what’s interesting about this Bazball era – it creates a second wind for bowlers. Even if you bowl a bad one for 400, the batters could just as easily run down 450.
Woakes was refreshingly honest when he called the Headingley pitch “a pretty good wicket to bat on” and said the bowlers would just have to work harder. The concern? Edgbaston might play out like that, too. There’s good weather, it seems to be a flat pitch, and it’s a deep and dangerous order for the Indian batting line-up.
Why Woakes Still Believes & Why That Matters
The current situation is difficult, but there is no panic in the England camp. It is still a positive mood. Why? Because they are winning and having fun playing the cricket they want to play. Woakes acknowledged that they knew it could be better, but the system and mentality built up over the last few years with Stokes and McCullum have provided confidence.
It’s no longer just about putting bowlers in dry areas and hoping for mistakes. It’s about attacking, in some cases, even if the scorecard says otherwise. Woakes is a good example that mirrors this change. Not long ago, he would have kept it on a top-off line every time. Now, he has variations, he changes and adjusts mid spell, and he trusts his team emphatically to keep swinging when needed.
And that is important. Because leadership isn’t merely providing a good example for young bowlers in difficult situations, it is equally important to demonstrate that belief is greater than that feeling when scoreboard pressure arises. England has chased 371 at Headingley. They chased down 378 against India three years earlier.
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