Credit: BCCI/ECB
The only two cricketers thus far in this still-very-much-on-series, who have played every single Test without even missing any of the five matches, happen to be India’s Mohammed Siraj and England’s Chris Woakes. This isn’t just a small feat, it tends to point towards both individual cricketers being nothing shy of beacons of excellence and consistency for their respective teams.
Currently in its second day, the fifth Test at The Oval in London has seen both Siraj and Woakes, roaring fast bowlers for their units with a big responsibility. But how is that? For starters, both Siraj and Woakes have been regularly among the wickets in this very series, despite the latter suffering a shoulder injury, ending his campaign on a tame note. While Siraj has claimed 18 wickets thus far after the completion of two innings of the fifth Test, that includes a brilliant spell of six-fer at Birmingham, Woakes on his part, has played an excellent supporting act to the likes of Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes in the series for England.
Chris Woakes ended his campaign in Test series with 11 wickets to his name vs India
Chris Woakes captured 11 wickets in the Test series, his best bowling has been a three-fer as seen at Lord’s. That being said, Woakes is also interestingly within touching distance of an important Test milestone. The right-arm medium fast pacer who hadn’t been all that regular in the English playing XI in the past two years needs nine wickets to touch the 200-wicket milestone.
The very fact in the absence of mainstream pace bowlers like Jofra Archer and regular English captain Ben Stokes, the latter the most successful of all England bowlers, Chris Woakes’s job was expected to be very crucial at The Oval, and he did it well before his unfortunate injury. He’s clearly the most experienced contestant with the red ball with 61 games to his name already prior to entering the current Oval game.
On the other hand someone like Mohammed Siraj will also be expected to hold onto his own in this Test match particularly because India’s lead strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t been picked for the fifth and final Test. The 31-year-old known for his raw pace and ability to take batters by a surprise given his excellence with the short ball should likely help India’s cause. But these are early days. A lot is riding on both experienced red ball specialists.
