AUS vs ENG: 'Surprised' Ben Stokes Lavishes Praise On Chris Woakes After His Starring Display In Third Test

England captain Ben Stokes has hailed Chris Woakes as ‘Mr. Consistent’ after the allrounder’s stunning performance with both bat and ball in the recently-concluded third Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley.

After warming the bench during the first two Tests, Woakes was recalled into the playing eleven and he repaid it with a match-winning performance. Playing his first Tests in more than a year, the allrounder starred with the ball, picking up six wickets before playing a crucial match-winning knock.

Dream11 Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips | Cricket Match Prediction Today | Cricket News | Cricket Live Score | Asia Cup 2023 | ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 | IND vs AFG 2023 | IND vs WI 2023

Woakes picked up three wickets in each innings with all of them being in Australia’s top seven and then scored 32 runs in the second innings. He shared a crucial 59-run stand with Harry Brook after England were reduced to 171 for 6 while chasing 251. When Brook was dismissed, England still needed 21 runs and Woakes remained till the end to make sure England open their account in the ongoing series.

IND vs AUS 2023 | India National Cricket Team | IND vs AFG 2023 | IND vs WI 2023 | Asia Cup 2023 | ICC World Cup 2023

Ben Stokes lavishes praise on Chris Woakes:

Praising Chris Woakes for his all round display, Ben Stokes started by expressing his surprise over the fact that his teammate had not played a Test since March last year. The England skipper then praised Woakes before saying that he is hopeful of a similar performance from him when he plays next.

“I didn’t realise that Woakes hasn’t played a Test for so long, he is Mr. Consistent. Having someone who can bat like him batting at 8 helps us. Hope he can do something similar when he plays next,” the England skipper said after the game.

Stokes also heaped praise on Mark Wood who was making a comeback into the Test side as well. After missing the first two Tests, Wood terrorized Australia with his pace and went on to pick up his first five-wicket haul in England. With the bat, he smashed 24 off just 8 balls in the first innings before scoring a crucial unbeaten 16 in the second innings.

“Having someone who can bowl at 95 mph is amazing. With the bat, he is just a free spirit. Goes back to the clarity. 24 off 8 balls was a massive swing in the game. Doesn’t always come off, but gives you a better chance to succeed,” said Stokes.

“We had Woody and Woakesy back in and they did well. We picked teams and look how they can impact us in the game. We try to see how they can be influential in the game,” he added.

England have kept alive their hopes of winning the Ashes for the first time since 2015. The hosts chased down 251 to clinch the game by 3 wickets. The Ben Stokes-led side now needs to win both the remaining Tests to win the series and reclaim the Ashes.

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah