England and Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes recently opened up about his absence from cricket. He revealed that he had been deeply grieving the death of his father, who died at the start of May.
The 35-year-old popular cricketer has not played for his county or the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League this season. He was also left out of England’s Twenty20 World Cup squad.
In an ‘Instagram’ post, Woakes exposed that the last month has been the most difficult time of his life. Chris Woakes has played almost 200 games for England in all forms. His most recent encounter was in the International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates with Sharjah Warriors in February. He was also a part of the England team that toured the West Indies in December.
Woakes Posts a Heartfelt Message
Woakes justified his absence in a social media statement, saying: “The last month has been the most hard of my life since my father passed away at the beginning of May.
“I’ve spent the last few weeks with the people most important to me: my family. We’re all obviously mourning and trying to get through what is certainly the most difficult time in our lives.
“When the time comes for me and my family, I will be back soon to play cricket for Warwickshire, a club my Dad loved dearly. I know playing cricket for Warwickshire and England made my Dad really proud. Look forward to doing it again in the near future.”
Also Read: Top Five Players To Watch At Cricket’s T20 World Cup
How Lack of Woakes Effects the England Squad
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England’s lineup is well-rounded despite the absence of a high-quality all-rounder like Woakes. England’s squad is not only notable for its bowling innovations and big-hitting accelerations, but it is also extremely well-behaved and non-cribbing.
That is why, unlike in the game’s previous versions, no one regrets their big wins. They also do not bottle up in this format.
Jos Buttler, England’s captain, believes there is a “good feeling” among the England squad following their pre-T20 World Cup series victory over Pakistan.
“We were working hard in training and there is a good feeling around the squad,” he said. “All of the boys are stepping up and performing.
“It would have been great to get a couple more matches in to expose a few guys to different scenarios, but we have really good experience in the squad and a lot of players have been playing in the IPL, so we are not lacking cricket.”
On his own performance, he added: “I’m on a journey to keep improving, trying to focus on a couple of other aspects of my game that I haven’t been doing. That’s giving me new energy and motivation.
“It went OK for five or six overs, but suddenly I was out. “The middle order needs to step up,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said before his country begins its World Cup campaign against the United States on Thursday.
“We need to settle those problems before the World Cup. We have a few injuries, but there are plenty of positives. Our performance is good in patches.”
Also Read: England vs Pakistan: Third T20I Fully Ruined By Rain
About the Author
Zartash Zulfiqar is a passionate cricket writer whose love for cricket shines through in every word. From match analyses to player profiles, she delivers insightful commentary that resonates with fans worldwide. Stay tuned for the latest from the world of cricket, brought to you by Zartash.
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