“To play the first day-night Test match, on my home ground, would be great”
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England all-rounder Chris Woakes has expressed his desire to regain his spot in the national team ahead of the first Test against the West Indies, which will be the first day-night Test to be held in England.
Woakes has not played any international cricket since suffering a side strain in the opening game of the Champions Trophy back in June.
However, after having made a full recovery and being recalled to the Test team, the 28-year-old is hoping to be part of England’s playing XI at Edgbaston on Thursday.
“The side’s good. It was a long eight weeks or so,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m feeling fit but whether I play or not is out of my hands but it’s great to be back in the squad and to be around the group again.
“I’m pleased with where I’m at but I would have liked to have got more cricket in. Because of all the T20 games, there was only one County Championship match, but I got a couple of second XI games in before that.”
The West Indies played a day-night Test against Pakistan in Dubai last October, but England have no experience playing under the lights in the longest format. With that in mind, Woakes is eager to represent his country in the historic match.
“To play the first day-night Test match, on my home ground, would be great. There’s a great vibe around the place,” he said. “It would be great to be in the team, it would be a great experience and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
“It’s worked in other places around the world already and it’s exciting and will hopefully bring in some new spectators.”
When asked about training with a pink ball, Woakes conceded that it was very different from what he is accustomed to.
“Last night was the first time I bowled and trained with the pink ball,” he said. “Everyone said it would be around twilight when it would be most tricky under lights and it looked that way last night.
“It moved around a bit at that period and when it gets dark it gets a bit easier. It was a bit different. Not like a white ball, not like a red ball, somewhere in between. I guess that’s the best time to bowl. And the more we play with it, the more we’ll learn about it.”