Chris Woakes Preferred The 2021 T20I World Cup And Ashes 2021/22 Over IPL 2021

Chris Woakes, England seam-bowling all-rounder has elaborated on his decision to skip the second phase of the IPL 2021. Chris Woakes of Delhi Capitals earned a spot in England’s T20 squad and is among three English players to pull out of the UAE leg.

The 32-year old has put his international commitments ahead of the lucrative tournament. Chris Woakes wants to be available, fit and firing in England’s bid to win their second T20 crown and the Ashes in Australia soon after.

Chris Woakes, playing for his first-class side Warwickshire, preferred the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, claiming it would be an exciting few months for the English team. Thus, he had to sacrifice his IPL deal. The UAE leg of the IPL 2021 begins on September 19 and goes on till October 15, following which the T20 World Cup will begin in a couple of days.

“With the World Cup and the Ashes, it would have been too much in a short space of time. I would have loved to have been part of the IPL but something has to give. A World Cup and an Ashes tour, it’s almost as big a winter as our summer was in 2019.”

“It’s a shame with what’s going on Covid-wise that it’s not going to be as normal as everyone would like. But, from a cricket perspective, it’s very exciting,” Woakes said as quoted by The Guardian.

Chris Woakes further remarked that he was unaware of being part of the T20 squad. The right-arm seamer said the IPL has stumbled upon them at the end of their summer. Chris Woakes has featured in only 10 T20Is since debuting in early 2011. He was recalled after 6 years in T20Is and featured in 2 matches of the Sri Lanka T20Is in June 2021.

“My inclusion in the World Cup squad, I didn’t know was going to happen – especially a couple of months ago. The IPL has been rescheduled and thrown on to the end of our summer,” Woakes said as quoted by The Guardian.

Chris Woakes was part of the Delhi Capitals and took five wickets in three games in the first half at 16.40 apiece. The franchise announced Australian seamer Ben Dwarshuis as his replacement on Monday.

Chris Woakes Played Only 1 Test This Summer Against India

The 32-year old could only feature in one Test this summer, playing in the fourth Test at the Oval against India. He recovered from his heel injury to replace Sam Curran and picked up four wickets in the first innings. Chris Woakes followed it by scoring a crucial fifty.

The all-rounder was named in England squad for South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India series but wasn’t picked in the playing XI in any of the tours. The talented all-rounder underwent knee surgery before New Zealand Tests, which made him unavailable for the 2 match Test series against the Kiwis.

Unfortunately, England slumped to a 157-run loss in the 4th Test. The fifth Test in Manchester was abandoned after India refused to take the field. It emerged later that the influx of COVID-19 cases within their support staff had created tensions in their minds.

Chris Woakes had pulled out of the remainder of the IPL because of personal reasons, joining Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Jonny Bairstow, Punjab Kings’ Dawid Malan, and Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler in withdrawing from the tournament. The Delhi Capitals are currently on top of the IPL points table with 12 points from eight matches. They resume their campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22.

Chris Woakes did not feature in IPL 2020 but Delhi Capitals retained the England cricketer for the IPL 2021. He scored 15 runs and picked up 5 scalps in 3 games before IPL 2021 was suspended due to Covid-19. Overall, he has 30 scalps in 21 matches averaging 21.93 and scored 78 runs playing IPL 2017,2018, and 2021.