No free pass to Ashes for senior citizen Woakes

CHRIS WOAKES assumed the mantle of elder statesman in England's attack after Jimmy Anderson's retirement and said: "It makes me feel incredibly old."

- Mike Walters

At 35, the 'Wizard' is the wise owl in a unit shorn of 1,308 wickets by Anderson's final curtain call at Lord's on Friday and the exit of Stuart Broad, below, last summer.

Woakes could win his 50th cap, spread over 11 years, in the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge on Thursday after taking a break from cricket following the death of his father, Roger, two months ago.

He is making no assumptions about making England's Ashes squad in 2025-26. After all, his record in away Tests (36 wickets at 51.88) is much poorer than at home (114 wickets at 22.04).

But in the short term, as the senior citizen, he might even get choice of ends.