Cricket Word Player of the Week - Chris Woakes

For his six wickets and counter-attacking 84* which took England to a famous come-from-behind victory in the first test against Pakistan, Chris Woakes is the Cricket Word Player of the Week.

After all the appreciation that Chris Woakes got after his match-winning performance in the first test against Pakistan, I could not help but wonder what would have happened had Ben Stokes been fully fit to bowl.

There is little doubt that Zak Crawley would then have been drafted in the team as a specialist batsman. Who would you have dropped in that case to include Woakes in the side?

James Anderson? Stuart Broad? Jofra Archer?

It would have been an extremely tough call for the skipper and the team management but despite Woakes picking up a 5-wicket haul in the last innings against West Indies, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually Woakes who had to sit out.

England win by three wickets!

Chris Woakes (84*) hits the winning runs ?? #ENGvPAK SCORECARD ?? https://t.co/4SeqcHHxsQ pic.twitter.com/XbBIvYlpuK

— ICC (@ICC) August 8, 2020

As luck would have it, Ben Stokes was not a 100%. Woakes got his opportunity and made the most of it. Averaging a tick over five from his previous six tests with the bat, Woakes played an exceptional counter-attacking innings of 84 not out which took England to a famous come-from-behind victory.

His 103 runs in the match complemented his 6 wickets and it's time that Woakes gets enough credit for what he has been doing for the England team, for quite some time now.

© Cricket World 2020