Chris Woakes disagreed with the third umpire’s call and shook his head in displeasure. When the fast bowler’s nip-backer struck Karun Nair’s backpad in the eleventh over of the opening morning at Edgbaston, he was positive he had already taken his second wicket of the match. Nair had judged the delivery, so it didn’t matter if the hit was outside the off-stump. Woakes was certain that Ben Stokes would accept the call upstairs because the ball came in sufficiently.
After the TV review showed that the ball had merely clipped the top of the off-stump, on-field umpire Sharfuddoula’s initial ruling was affirmed, which prompted Woakes’s following response. He subsequently believed that the bowler should win in situations like this, when the hitter does not attempt a stroke.
“I need to be careful: I’ve had some [decisions] go my way over the years,” Woakes stated at the close of the day’s news conference. “DRS has been beneficial to the game overall. There are a lot more wise choices made [than previously]. The sole point I would like to make is that, whether or not the ball is clipping, if a batsman chooses to leave it and it is still striking the stumps, it should be out.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had a similar close brush with the green a few overs prior to this, and his close call was also forwarded for review. Woakes raised his hands in the air this time, a reaction that had less to do with the choice and more to do with the bad luck. Although Woakes was certain that the ball had pitched in line and merited a review, he hit Yashasvi Jaiswal on the front pad with it from over the stumps. After some deliberation and consideration, Stokes conceded. Once more, the replays revealed that the ball just touched the top of the leg-stump.
Woakes remarked, “We could have easily had them 30 for 3,” referring to both of those calls.
“To be honest, the morning was somewhat annoying. It would have been lovely if those decisions had gone our way, but that is Test cricket, and we go on. Of course, emotions run high when you are anxious to perform well for the team and for yourself.
Even though there were gloomy overheads in Edgbaston prior to the match, India ended up with 310/5, which included Shubman Gill’s sixth Test century.
While Woakes’s strategy of bowling from outside of the crease did not succeed against Nair, it did well against Nitish Reddy. In order to offer India greater batting weight, the all-rounder was selected for this match. He shouldered arms to a delivery that pitched outside off and tailed in sharply to strike the stumps.
Woakes had a successful first day’s play in Edgbaston, finishing with figures of 2-59 in 21 overs, following a forgettable comeback to the Test team in Leeds. Given that it took place at his home, the performance was much more memorable.
“It felt like the stumps were in play all day,” Woakes remarked. “To be honest, it didn’t feel like it had the pace to be a huge nick-off wicket… It was something we were trying to find. In essence, the goal was to determine the ideal length that would enable you to use the stumps while remaining sufficiently full to avoid being driven.
“This is my fourth Test match here; you don’t get to play at your home field very often during a career. These weeks are very unique. I have a profound affection for Warwickshire, and you have a large circle of friends and relatives. I’ve only ever known it. Many people work behind the scenes to help you during both good and difficult times,” he continued.
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