England v Sri Lanka: '˜Stand-in' Chris Woakes determined to seize his big chance

New world record-holder Chris Woakes is confident his best is still to come for England.
England's Chris Woakes celebrates reaching his half century against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Tuesday night. Picture: Simon Cooper/PA.England's Chris Woakes celebrates reaching his half century against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Tuesday night. Picture: Simon Cooper/PA.
England's Chris Woakes celebrates reaching his half century against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Tuesday night. Picture: Simon Cooper/PA.

Woakes’s unbeaten 95 in the remarkable Royal London Series tie against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge, curiously his only half-century in 116 List A matches, is the highest score by any No 8 in one-day international history.

Although Yorkshire’s Liam Plunkett then emerged as England’s glory boy, by hitting the final ball of the match into the pavilion to snatch the tie on 286-8, Woakes was named man of the match.

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As England travel west to his home ground in Birmingham, still all square before tomorrow’s second match of five, the fast-improving all-rounder will hope to be centre stage again.

At 27, Woakes is on course to bring up a half-century of ODI caps this summer – dependent partially on how he is deployed once Ben Stokes’s injury-enforced absence ends.

“I feel like my best years are ahead of me,” he said. “I feel more established as an England cricketer and I don’t see why they can’t be ahead of me.

“I see myself as still a young cricketer, who has played a lot.”

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n England Women rewrote the record books as Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Whitfield scored centuries in a 212-run success over Pakistan Women in the second Royal London One-Day International at New Road.

England’s total of 378-5 was their highest ever in ODI cricket as they established a winning 2-0 lead in the best of three series.

It also forms part of the ICC World Championship and England have climbed to third spot behind Australia and the West Indies with the top four automatically qualifying for the 2017 World Cup in England.

England surpassed their previous highest total of 376-4, also against Pakistan in 1997 in Jalandhar, India.