Woakes Voices LBW Frustration as England Missed Early India Breakthroughs

Woakes Laments Unlucky LBW Decisions Against India

Chris Woakes expressed his frustration after several close LBW calls went against England on the opening day of the Edgbaston Test against India. The bowler believed that a couple of decisions could have easily seen India reeling at 30 for 3.

Woakes picked up a couple of wickets for England on the opening day. © Getty

One such incident occurred in the 11th over when Woakes thought he had dismissed Karun Nair. The ball nipped back and struck Nair on the back pad, and the batsman hadn't offered a shot. Although the impact was outside off-stump, Woakes felt the ball would have hit the wickets and convinced Ben Stokes to review.

However, the TV replay showed the ball only clipping the top of the off-stump, leading to the on-field umpire's decision being upheld. Woakes later said he felt that if a batsman doesn't offer a shot, the decision should favor the bowler.

"I need to be careful: I've had some [decisions] go my way over the years," Woakes acknowledged. "In general, DRS has been good for the game. A lot more right decisions are given [than before]. The only thing I would like to come in is that if a batsman decides to leave the ball and it's still hitting the stumps, I think that should be out - regardless if it's clipping or not."

Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal also benefited from a similar close call that went to review. Woakes struck Jaiswal on the front pad, and was convinced the ball had pitched in line. However, the replays showed the ball only brushing the top of the leg-stump.

"We could have easily had them 30 for 3," Woakes stated, referring to the two incidents. "It was a pretty frustrating morning, really. Obviously emotions run high when you are desperate to do well for the team, do well for yourself and it would've been nice... had those decisions gone our way, the day looks completely different, but that is Test cricket and we move on."

Despite the frustrating calls, Woakes did manage to pick up two wickets on the day, finishing with 2-59 in 21 overs. One of his wickets was Nitish Reddy, who shouldered arms to a ball that nipped back in sharply to hit the stumps.

Reflecting on his performance at his home ground, Woakes said: "It felt like the stumps were in play all day. It didn't feel like a massive nick-off wicket, to be honest; it didn't feel like it had the pace in it for that... It was something which we were looking for. Basically, it was trying to find the right length that allowed you to be full enough not to get driven, but still bring the stumps into play."

He further added, "Across a career, you don't get that many games at your home venue: this is my fourth Test match here. They are really special weeks. You have a lot of friends and family in the ground, and I've got a lot of love for Warwickshire which goes deep. It's all I've ever known... There's a lot of people behind the scenes who support you through the good times and the bad."