Chris Woakes wasted no time in shedding his image as England’s forgotten man, displaying his international pedigree to crack open this enthralling contest.
Woakes, featuring in his first competitive match since March’s World Cup bungle against Bangladesh, was thrown the new ball by his captain, Varun Chopra, for Durham’s second innings and vindicated the decision with a stunning opening spell. Within four overs from the Lumley end he had removed the hosts’ best three batsmen Mark Stoneman, Paul Collingwood and Scott Borthwick. Durham were nine for four and no longer dictating terms.
When the 26-year-old incurred the first of his 2015 injury problems – a stress reaction in his foot followed by a meniscal tear in his left knee – he held an England place across all three formats. So it has been with mixed feelings that he has witnessed the exploits of the national team this summer.
Here, having sent down 13 overs on day one after coming on second change, he took the opportunity to impress the national selector, James Whitaker, with some high-class swing and seam, albeit in helpful conditions. One of three morning wickets to fall as Durham secured a 116-run lead on first innings, Woakes dispatched Stoneman with a delivery of extra bounce, had an aggrieved Collingwood lbw and then jagged one sharply across Borthwick.
Woakes said: “Coming through everything with no problems is the main thing. For my first outing I feel things have gone pretty well. My knee is still pretty sore on an evening, after a day’s play, but I will take that because I am pulling up on mornings fine.”
Durham did not pull up so well on the third morning: Keaton Jennings had his stumps splayed by Rikki Clarke, who also terminated Michael Richardson’s cameo when Laurie Evans plucked a third-slip catch high above his head.
A lunchtime score of 34 for five regressed to 55 for seven soon afterwards, as Clarke took eight wickets in a first-class match for the first time courtesy of Gordon Muchall’s back-foot waft and John Hastings succumbing to the best delivery sent down by Oliver Hannon-Dalby in either innings.
So it took a major tail wag to swell Warwickshire’s target to 265 – Jamie Harrison last man out, one of two innings-ending successes for the New Zealand off-spinner Jeetan Patel.
With grey cloud morphing into sunshine after tea, conditions improved for batting considerably and it took a leg-side strangle for Durham to make their first inroad as the luckless Chopra flicked at Graham Onions. The other two dismissals – Jonathon Webb’s middle-stump cartwheeled and Ian Westwood’s outside edge tickled – were rather more comprehensive.
But with Laurie Evans’s strokeplay equally decisive – his half-century came from 64 balls – Woakes’s comeback contribution could yet play a decisive part in the result.
