There is a game going on here on Saturday. It may be even more relevant than the one taking place in Canterbury, New Zealand, on Sunday and it was Chris Woakes, who was plucked out to remind us of the importance of the second Test in Adelaide.
It was always going to be Woakes. The Warwickshire all-rounder has many assets; he can bowl brisk away-swingers, he bats properly and when the England and Wales Cricket Board requires someone to chat to the press at a time when there is a bit too much going on for its liking, he is No1 on the list. He has safer hands than David Seaman ever possessed. Woakes is engaging, cheerful, cooperative and measured. He was never going to embarrass the England tour party in a week when they have seemed ever more open to ridicule.
Woakes dealt with the inevitable questions politely before moving on to the Test. “Any team would be stronger with Ben Stokes in it,” he said. Soon he was directed towards the thorny issue of the curfew. He confirmed one had been imposed by the ECB’s cricket director, Andrew Strauss. “Yes, the curfew is midnight but that does not change much. It doesn’t affect us greatly at all. There is no alcohol ban but I’m not a huge drinker anyway.”
The precise logistics of the new regulations were not explored but on reflection your correspondent has calculated there could be a nasty race against time throughout the Adelaide Test. It is, of course, a day/night match. Play can go on until 10pm, whereupon the players have to warm down and brush up while one or two must satisfy the demands of TV, radio, and the written press, who desperately crave their interpretation of events on the field after the close of play.
Fortunately the England team are staying conveniently near the Adelaide Oval but they will struggle to get back to their hotel before 11pm. Then they may need a bite to eat before the Ovaltine, all of which has to be done by midnight. It could be a bit of a scramble for our brave boys. Remember Brian Hanrahan of the BBC “counting them all out and counting them all back” during the Falklands war. Please do not expect your Guardian reporters to perform a similar role. On a more serious note, winning teams seldom have curfews.
Woakes, denied the suggestion the tourists must have felt as if they had been dragooned into the headmaster’s study when addressed by Strauss after the Brisbane Test. “He just reminded us of the fact we are England players and we have a responsibility to the cap, the jumper and the nation, and that Ashes series are always built up to be something more than a normal series.”
Obviously the way out of the trough is to win in Adelaide and Woakes dutifully found reasons to be optimistic. “The ball might move around a little bit more here,” he said, “and that might suit our strengths as a bowling attack. We are stepping into the unknown with the pink ball. Every game has thrown up something different.”
England won a low-scoring match here against an inexperienced side three weeks ago. “The pink Duke [which England used at Edgbaston last August] felt more plasticky,” he said, “whereas the pink Kookaburra feels the same as the red Kookaburra. It doesn’t necessarily shine too well but it does move a little bit. But we have not bowled a huge amount with it.”
It will be another voyage of discovery but the expectation is it will be easier – for both sides – to take the 20 wickets necessary to win. No one expects a draw at Adelaide any more. Can England score enough runs and how can they cope with the bouncer barrage that has been promised time and time again by Australia once they reach the lower order, which usually coincides with the presence of Woakes at the crease? Again he displayed an engaging candour.
“I feel as comfortable as you can be against the short ball,” he said. “No one enjoys short bowling consistently around your earholes. You want some on the front foot but you are not always going to get that, particularly in Australia. You have to have plans to score runs, not just survive.” It is possible to envisage Woakes doing that but not so easy to imagine those further down the order having much success against the barrage.
Finally there was one more reference to the problems that have been haunting the tour party. It seemed somehow preposterous to suggest to Woakes, of all people, that England were being perceived as a thuggish side. Of course he declined to take offence. “We are not a group of thugs; we’re a very good bunch of guys, a very good team that is willing to do the right things to try to win the Ashes.”
