Chris Woakes dreaming of Twenty20 World Cup glory after helping England to 50-over success in 2019

Chris Woakes occasionally wanders into his study, just to remind himself. From the ups and downs of that dramatic day at Lord’s, and the extended journey he took with England’s first champion 50-over team.

Some people place them in cabinets with glass fronts, others mount them on the wall. But the World Cup winner’s medal that Woakes received after that minimal success over New Zealand in 2019 just hangs next to his computer in “his” room, strewn with memorabilia from a 16-year career away from wife Amie and their two young daughters.

“Every now and then I go in and have a look. Not many people own them, right? In fact, as an Englishman’, says Woakes.

Memories of that never-ending Sunday in July were also at the heart of England’s forgotten man who had to undergo knee surgery two months ago, motivated by being part of efforts to double the amount of gold against this month’s Twenty20 equivalent.

“I think the thought of lifting another trophy is a bit like a drug,” he told the Mail On Sunday.

“The motivation was always there to come back and play cricket, really, but the root of a World Cup was huge, and that basically meant my deadline. It was a matter of either having surgery or not at all.’

So long was Woakes’ injury woes ahead of this seven-match tour of Pakistan, whose current 3-3 status will be unlocked at Gadaffi Stadium later on Sunday, and Baz’s rapid pace of summer that has undermined his previous competitive outing under Joe Root’s captaincy in the Caribbean feels like another era.

England returned from that tour, dealing with the fallout from a 1-0 loss to the West Indies, and Woakes a triumvirate of injuries.

“The body ached and cracked. I couldn’t throw very well because of a shoulder problem, my knee hurt and my ankle was also swollen. Other than that, I was ready to go,” laughs Woakes.

Woakes celebrates after England beat New Zealand in 2019 World Cup Final at Lord’s

Such problems, of course, are part of being a fast bowler. Only the knee “teased me,” he says, as scans showed no damage. “I got to the podium where I was bowling at full throttle, but as soon as I bowled a little too much, I couldn’t move the next day.” In his comeback for Warwickshire’s second XI, he was limited to nine overs. At the end of July an exploratory operation took place, in which irritating cartilage was cut away.

Just in time for England to get the band back together. Mark Wood’s resurgence here has given England a boost for the tournament as they head down Monday, but the influence of Woakes – who grabbed a steady 30 from four overs against the Pakistanis on Wednesday – should not be underestimated.

Sure, he may not have the X-factor pace of his new ball partner, but unlike his battle in Ashes, some of Woakes’ best white-ball performances have come about in Australian conditions. His best ODI figures were claimed at the Gabba 11 years ago; he was outstanding in the 4-1 win in the 50-over section of the 2017-18 tour.

Now 33, like Ben Stokes, he has been asked to consider specialization to manage the workload, but while unlikely to be selected for a return to Pakistan later this winter, he insists: I really want to still play test cricket, because I sure do. I don’t see at all that my testing career is over.’

Add: ‘I feel like I’m in a slightly different position. He is a world class player, Test captain and when he is fit and available England will want to play him and he will be in the first XI anyway. I’m not the first name on the team sheet for the test team, especially not from home, so it frees up more time and I want to play all formats for as long as I can, and as long as my body allows me to do that. ‘

First, an attempt to add a second reason for quiet contemplation to the study.