Chris Woakes, England pacer, said that England has overcome improbable situations they faced in the past providing them with the necessary confidence for a turnaround in the first Test match against Pakistan in Manchester.
Pakistan has a lead of 244 which have not been chased more than once at Old Trafford. However, England won the World Cup final and Headingley Ashes Test last summer from situations that were impossible.
Chris Woakes: England have a chance of victory
England still needs to take the remaining two wickets in Pakistan’s second innings who have scored 137/8 having a lead of 244 runs. They stuck late on the third day as Pakistan lost four wickets in the final session. Chris Woakes had already contributed to the team’s cause by picking up Babar Azam and captain Azhar Ali’s wicket.
“You will hear a lot about records and run-chases, but they are there to be broken. You look at those wins – those are the sort where we were written off,” Woakes was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
“We’ve definitely got the ability. It’s obviously going to be difficult, but we have got the players that can do it. You have to believe. We’ll certainly give it a good go. It will be a huge win if we are able to do it.”
In the 1st innings, Shan Masood scored 156, Babar Azam scored 69 to propel Pakistan to 326. In reply, England could score only 219 with Ollie Pope scoring 62.
Chris Woakes praises Stokes as he bowled despite injury
It is to be noted that England all-rounder Ben Stokes did not score in the first innings, but took two wickets in quick succession in Pakistan’s second innings removing Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi. Chris Woakes heaped praises on Ben Stokes, who was also instrumental in their maiden World Cup triumph last summer.
“I’m not overly surprised he did what he does. We know he’s capable of miracles. I had no idea he was able to bowl. It was nice to see him back performing. He’s got a knack of picking up wickets. When you are in a dogfight, he is the sort of player you want on your team,” Chris Woakes said.
Ben Stokes played a major role in the final of the ICC World Cup 2019 which England won.