Mark Butcher has wondered what Chris Woakes' Test future might look like as England keep an eye on next year's away Ashes series, labelling the all=rounder's role within the side as 'problematic' for England to replace away from home.
Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Butcher reflected on Woakes' role in England's series win over the West Indies. Woakes took 11 wickets in the series at an average of 21.36, putting him third on the wicket-taking charts. He also scored 134 runs at an average of 33.50, chipping in with an important half-century at Edgbaston.
However, there have been questions raised over where Woakes fits into the England management's focus on the Ashes series in 18 months time. Woakes did not tour India earlier this year and averages 51.88 with the ball away from home, compared to 21.83 at home. So extreme are the differences between Woakes' record in England compared his record away, that he has 124 wickets in 31 home Tests, compared to 36 in 20 away Tests.
"I still think that Woakes is problematic," said Butcher. "It's not that he isn't a brilliant cricketer and got better and better as the series went on, but I think he's problematic because the numbers over a long period of time overseas weren't particularly good – he wasn't that keen on going to India. I had it in my head that he'd retired from touring and would be available for series at home but not series away. For Australia, he won't be going. So that's an issue. He did a great job as a senior bowler and a very handy No.8, but England are going to have to find somebody else to do that at the back end of this year in New Zealand and in that Ashes series. That's still an issue for me.
"It's not slight on Chris Woakes because he's magnificent, but that is the one area I think at the moment that's still exorcising the think tank around how they replace him. How do they find someone who gives you as much both with bat and ball but is going to be more useful in Aus?"
What makes Woakes so difficult to replace for England is his utility with the bat. England have few all-rounders suited to batting at No.8 who are as effective with the ball away from home as Woakes is at home. The only comparably option they have at their disposal is Sam Curran, who hasn't played a Test match for almost three years and averages more than 40 with the ball away from home.
"It leaves you with a quandary," said Butcher. "Which will probably only be solved by sucking up the fact that you're not going to find someone who's as good of a batter as him at eight. It's just not possible unless you can develop somebody like Matt Potts into a genuine all-rounder. And that's a challenge for the player and also for management to emphasise to those guys who are your seam bowlers that it [batting] is just as important. It's very difficult to do at this late stage.
"Could Stokes and McCullum suddenly turn the wheel round 180 degrees and turn Chris Woakes into someone who is very useful to you outside of England as well as inside. Possible, but unlikely."
England will play three Test matches against Sri Lanka next month, before heading out to Pakistan and New Zealand over the winter for two more three-match Test series.
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