Chris Woakes basks in Adelaide glory
England’s fast bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes is still trying to figure out the impact of his match-winning performance in the first Twenty20 match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, which the English won by one wicket off
the final ball of the game. The match at the Adelaide Oval was the first of the 21-year-old’s career, who displayed maturity well beyond his years, and scored an unbeaten 19 runs to help seal a dramatic win for the visitors.
Woakes smashed the last ball of the match through the mid-wicket region with his team needing a run to win the cliff-hanger.
An excited Woakes told reporters, "It was a matter of trying to stay calm. I knew we batted all the way to No. 11. It hasn't really sunk in yet. I was just happy to make my debut; it was a huge honour for me.
It was a great achievement for me and the team to win the game.”
Woakes added, "I was a bit nervous before my first ball but I think it would be wrong not to have a few nerves on your debut. I thought I did okay, I could have gone a bit better, but overall I was pretty pleased."
He has already being hailed as an all-rounder after his first match heroics. He also managed to hit the shot of the match, when he spanked Aussie spearhead Shuan Tait for a huge six over the mid-wicket region.
The youngster said that the six off Tait, which reignited England's chase was not pre-planned, and he was just trying to connect with the ball to get his side back into the game. Woakes said, "He's one
of the quickest bowlers in the world so I was just trying to watch the ball out of his hand," he said. "There wasn't much going through my mind except to get bat on ball."
Woakes arrived in Australia after the completion of the Ashes series, which is being hailed as one of England’s greatest-ever wins in the history of cricket. The English Test team led by Andrew Strauss won
the series 3-1, and all three wins against their arch-rivals were by innings margins. Woakes said that there was a great spirit among the team at the moment.
"The lads have been really welcoming," he said. "Winning the Ashes was a great achievement so the lads are full of confidence and it's a great changing room to be in at the moment."
Woakes added that he is now aiming to excel in the second match of the series set to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and he was not looking too far ahead.
"I don't think too far ahead," he said. "Before Christmas I was with the academy here in Australia so was just focusing on that. Anything else that came was just an added bonus. There are guys out injured
who will come back into the side so I can't think about that [World Cup] right now."
The two teams will be locked in a seven match one-day international (ODI) series following the Twenty20s. For Woakes the target would be to win a regular place for the series, and to eventually make it to the
World Cup squad. England are being tipped as one of the favourites for the title after their impressive run in the format last year.
On the other hand, the Aussies have to ensure that they win the second Twenty20 to regain some badly damaged pride in the wake of the Ashes disaster. They fought all the way at Adelaide and had their party
spoiled right at the end by the determined novice Woakes.
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