England v Sri Lanka: Chris Woakes reviews Old Trafford win and is confident on making selection for winter test side
As England are looking for a more contested Test Series as they welcome Sri Lanka to the country, with many wanting more from the matches as their series with the West Indies was fairly underwhelming. We’re recapping the action from test one in Manchester, with Chris Woakes.
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00:00Really, really happy. I think to bowl a team out on day one of a Test match and to be knocked
00:08down at the close is a superb day. I think you always look back, don't you, and always
00:14want it a little bit better. But at the same time, I think I certainly would have taken
00:18that at the start of the day. As I said, I think had the weather and the conditions and
00:24the light been a little bit different, I feel we could have trimmed a few off there. But
00:29still really happy. Early wickets are always nice in a Test match and it kind of sets the
00:33tone and I suppose that's part of the job as an opening bowler. So really pleased to
00:38get those early rewards. I think there was a decent amount of movement with the new ball,
00:47both out the surface and in the air. So you try and make the most of that and thankfully
00:53we did that as opening bowlers today.
00:56Ollie Pope has stepped in as captain for the series following Ben Stokes' injury in the
01:01100, with Wokes saying he is suited to the role and he's definitely enjoying the spotlight
01:08so far.
01:09Yes, I thought he was good. I just said downstairs on TV, I think he probably found himself having
01:15to switch on a little bit more than he would normally. As captain, you have to be on the
01:19ball all the time. You're constantly thinking about fields, bowling changes and things like
01:26that and how to get wickets and talking and communicating with your bowlers, which is
01:30something he doesn't have to do usually. But I thought he did a great job, certainly with
01:35us as bowlers. I think he communicated with us well, talking about options, field settings.
01:39I thought for a first down on the job, obviously for an inexperienced captain, it feels different
01:47now, not with having Ben out there. Ben is Ben and has done it for a couple of years
01:53now and has got his own way. I think there's certainly traits of Ollie's being VC to Ben
02:01for a little while now. So he's obviously picked up on how Ben goes about it and that's
02:06probably brought a little bit of that into him. But he's also himself, which is I think
02:11really important for him moving forward. So I thought he did a great job, as I said.
02:16England face Pakistan and New Zealand in away test games this winter. Having continued
02:22to put in some solid performances, 35-year-old Chris Wokes is certainly not ruling himself
02:28out of selection. I'll play for England where I'm picked to play for England. I certainly
02:34wouldn't rule myself out. Obviously, that will be a discussion for probably further
02:41down the line. But I'm certainly not ruling myself out. Obviously, selectors will have
02:48their plans. But I'm certainly not going to turn down a tour if selected. So we shall
02:57see.