Chris Woakes Says England ODI Side Is Heading in the Right Direction

Former England all-rounder Chris Woakes has heaped praise on Harry Brook and England’s One-Day International team, claiming that the team is on the right track and is improving in terms of job clarity.

Chris Woakes, who retired from international cricket in 2025 after dislocating his shoulder in the final Test against India at The Oval, made the comments in advance of the October 2026 release of his autobiography ‘The Wizard’. England is now competing in the Pakistan ODI tri-series, which began on October 18, 2026, with the first match against Pakistan on October 20 in Rawalpindi.

What does Woakes think of England’s current ODI squad?

Woakes was a member of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning team under Eoin Morgan and has carefully studied the current squad. He believes the players available to Brook are genuine World Cup contenders, citing the squad’s wealth of batting and bowling options. The team is missing Jos Buttler, who is recovering from hamstring surgery, and Jacob Bethell, who has a knee ailment.

He also mentioned that England is making progress on role clarity within the group, stating that he believes they are coming closer to the ‘job definition’ that proved so vital in 2019. He noted that England’s preparation time is shorter than it was before their World Cup victory in 2019.

England played 87 One-Day Internationals during the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, but have only played 35 since finishing seventh in the 2023 World Cup, with Brook captaining 23 of those. England has a maximum of 21 ODI games remaining before the 2027 event.

When did Woakes initially see Brook as a standout talent?

Woakes has always admired Brook and was asked to recall the moment when he first recognized him as a great player. Brook struck 75 in the fourth innings at Headingley during the 2023 Ashes, which Woakes described as an early indication of his talent. Woakes won the Compton-Miller medal during the 2023 Ashes series.

In a chase that was extremely difficult in terms of magnitude, playing against Australia on his home field, and the way he kept his emotions in check – not only did he bat well, but he also stayed in the zone. There are a lot of shots that make you think, “There aren’t many people who can do that.” I guess it’s because I’ve seen a lot of his cricket recently, especially this summer, when I was expecting to play him in the Hundred. I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to have to play against this man.

He is not on my side.’ And you begin to realize, ‘Jeez, this guy is next level.’ When you see some of the shots he’s played, he’s fantastic, and when individuals do things like he’s capable of, and you see him doing it against big bowling attacks, you pay attention,” Woakes said.

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Woakes’ autobiography delves into his international career, including his accomplishments throughout forms and the 2019 World Cup, which he describes as his fondest memories.

Rohit Mishra

Rohit Mishra is a cricket content writer who enjoys exploring team statistics, player achievements, match highlights, and tournament stories to keep readers informed and connected with the game.