Farewell the Wizard: Chris Woakes could cast spells but let his cricket do the talking

Warwickshire all-rounder always put the team first and hit the heights for England with enviable Test career and two World Cup wins

As suspected at the time, Chris Woakes bravely walking out to bat at the Oval in August, arm in a sling, crowd on their feet, was his final act as an England cricketer. Grimacing through the agony of a dislocated shoulder, it made for front page news and a fitting, albeit unwitting, exit.

Few Test careers get endings like Stuart Broad’s mic-drop at the same ground or the sentimental farewells laid on for Jimmy Anderson or Alastair Cook. But this one suited Woakes: full circle at the scene of his Test debut 12 years earlier and still putting the team first.