Former England batsman Ian Bell put his best bet on his English county teammate and bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes to shine on in the about-to-happen Ashes series following the absence of star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is facing the police charges back home after the wee-hour fracas in Bristol in September this year.
“When he is at the top of his game, he has good pace and gets it to shape out. I’m sure he will be excited, and there is no doubt he will have to step up into that role,” Bell was quoted as saying by the UAE-based newspaper The National.
The 35-year-old top-order batsman Bell, who represents his county side Warwickshire alongside Woakes, urged impressive bowler – to fill the void which was left by Durham-based prominent face Stokes recently when he thrashed two men in Bristol after walking out of the pub and that subsequently led to his suspension until the verdict from Avon and Somerset law enforcement agency.
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As the 26-year-old left-handed batsman is bound to miss the first two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide, Woakes’ place has been confirmed to feature in the playing XI for England against Steven Smith-led Australia.
Bell, who had been a prominent figure in the Three Lions batting line-up in the past, further remarked Woakes is a kind of a player who can bring a lot to the table while delivering the best in a bid to step out whether with a ball or a bat in his hand.
Interestingly, Bell, who has been the part of four Ashes-winning campaigns over Australia, reiterated Woakes has been consistent owing to his recent performances which could further help his teammate out.
“From the outside, maybe he isn’t as flamboyant or as eye-catching a cricketer as Stokes, but he is very consistent in his game,” Bell maintained.
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The Birmingham-born Woakes is expected to play a significant role in order to back his senior campaigners in the form of James Anderson and Stuart Broad which would eventually see him trying his best to bat well lower down the line-up.
At home, England won three home-bound traditional series which further saw him witnessing 5-0 humiliation on Australian soil back in 2006-07 and 2013-14 when speedster Mitchell Starc made the mockery out of English batsmen.
“I have been there three times and it is a tough place to go,” Bell added.
As it is not the easiest of the task or the choice to be relying on, Woakes has further seen a lot of improvement since his emergence into the top-flight cricket in 2011, as it took him little over two years to don the white jersey against England at The Oval in London.
“In 2011 [when England won 3-1], we had a mindset that was just, ‘we are here to win’, and we had a team that was at the top of its powers across the board,” Bell further added.
The first-choice after the new-ball bowlers, Woakes has further established himself best with the bowl, however, he has struggled to feature in the longer version of the game after being marred by injury.
Banking on his strength, Woakes, who is fully fit to deliver on Australian soil, have further a huge task on his shoulders as Stokes’ fate his yet to be revealed owing to the ongoing investigation back home.
While admitting the fact it would be a huge task for England to stop the dominant hosts, Bell reiterated visitors have to deliver with the ball.
“I think they are beatable. But to win out there, as we did in 2011, the batting unit has to function and play at the top of their games,” Bell concluded.
Woakes played 18 Test for England in which he averages 32.14 with the bat and bagged 50 wickets. On the other side, Bell represented England in 118 Test in which he amassed 7,727 runs at an average of 42.69.