London: England fast bowler Chris Woakes has insisted that even though he hasn’t played in T20Is lately, he still has in him to play the shortest format of the game.
Woakes has not played a T20 since August 2018 and last featured in a T20I for England in November 2015.
‘By no means do I feel like I’m finished in T20. I’d still love to play in the IPL,’ Woakes was quoted as saying by ‘The Cricketer’.
He has so far played 33 Tests and 101 ODIs besides 8 T20 internationals.
The 31-year-old also revealed that he pulled out of this year’s Indian Premier League as his wife was pregnant and they are expecting a baby in September.
‘In hindsight I probably didn’t need to pull out. I didn’t say it at the time but we’re expecting another baby in September and that added to the decision,’ Woakes said who was bought for Rs 1.5 crore by Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction last year.
‘My wife wasn’t well at home. The idea of being away from home for three months was going to be too much. Family had to come first,’ he added.
He also insisted that while he is open to play other tournaments, national duty takes top priority.
‘I want to play as much cricket as I can moving forward while looking after my body. My England career is No.1 but if opportunities come up, I’d still like to play in them.’
The right-arm pacer said it was unlikely that he would make the squad for the T20 World Cup scheduled in October-November in Australia which is currently under the scanner because of the coronavirus pandemic.
‘At the minute it doesn’t quite look like I’m going to get a go in T20 unless something drastic happens in terms of injuries. I’d probably have to have had an unbelievable summer.’
He also supported the idea of playing in an empty stadium without fans in order to give fans something to entertain.
At least give the public something to watch and hopefully entertain some who are missing it a lot,’ he said.
We’d want a three-week block (of preparation) to get overs in your legs to be able to back up a 20-over day in a Test. But again, that might not be possible either. So, I think two weeks would probably be the minimum, he added.
Currently, professional cricket remains suspended in England until May 28 because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has so far claimed more than 1.8 lakh lives across the world.