Cricket World Cup: Chris Woakes says England aiming to knock hosts India ‘off their perch’

Chris Woakes believes home advantage stacks the odds in India’s favor at the Cricket World Cup, but insists his England side are motivated to “knock them off their perch”.

The last three editions of the tournament have all gone the way of the host nations, with India winning their last world title in Mumbai in 2011, followed by Australia in Melbourne in 2015 and England at Lord’s four years ago .

India did little to reduce their status as pre-competition favourites, kicking off their campaign with heavy wins against Afghanistan and Australia, while Pakistan, New Zealand and the South Africa have also won two out of two.

But Woakes, who was part of Eoin Morgan’s triumphant 2019 side and is looking to repeat his performance, is not intimidated.

“It’s an incredibly tough challenge to win in India. Naturally, I think the subcontinental teams will feel more comfortable with the conditions,” he said.

“It makes it extremely difficult for us to knock them off their perch, so to speak. But we have the team and the players to be able to compete. People have been watching us for a while and we’ve struggled a little bit. a target on our backs as a white ball team, all over the world.

“It’s a tough competition to win, isn’t it? Especially here. But we’ll give it a shot. We take each game as it comes. Naturally, people have expectations of us and we certainly have our own expectations of ourselves.

England’s defense is back on track after following an opening defeat to New Zealand with a 137-run success against Bangladesh, with changing fortunes illustrated by Woakes’ own figures.

The 34-year-old was behind against the Black Caps, dropping 45 runs in six wicketless overs, but warmed up to his job on Tuesday night, opening his account with the wickets of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Tigers’ top scorer, Liton Das.

Unimagined Afghanistan will be next Sunday in Delhi – live Air sport cricket from 9am (first ball at 9.30am), with Woakes keen to continue his upward trajectory.

“It’s the start of a long tournament,” he said. “I definitely think I would have liked to have played a bit better, but they’re long competitions and you don’t want to peak too early, I suppose.

“I’ve built tournaments in the past and series, which I guess will stand me in good stead for the future. But you contribute every time you go on the court, so I’m going to work hard at that. practice to try to make sure I’m on the money when I get the chance.”

Woakes has no plans to compete in the Olympics

Woakes also had his say on the announcement that cricket was set to make a return to the Olympic Games, after its last appearance as a one-match showcase in 1900.

The Warwickshire all-rounder does not expect to be present at Los Angeles 2028, but is excited about the sport moving to the next stage.

“I don’t think I’ll play at that age, but I think it would be great,” he said. “Getting the game in front of more people is what we need to do. For a sport I’ve been playing since I was a kid, being part of the Olympics would be amazing for me.

“Sitting at home watching the guys take on the rest of the world as an Olympic sport would be huge for the game. The more people we have watching it and maybe looking to adopt it, the better it will be and grow the game in the world is extremely important.”

What’s next for the Cricket World Cup?

The Cricket World Cup continues with a clash between New Zealand And Bangladesh Friday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 9 a.m. (first dance at 9:30 a.m.).

England face Afghanistan on Sunday, while Australia Australia face a crucial match against Sri Lanka Monday, with a victory almost certainly already essential – both matches live on Sky Sports Cricket from 9 a.m. (first dance at 9:30 a.m.). The full match list and schedules for the World Cup are available here.

Watch every match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 live on Sky Sports. You can stream the tournament NOW