The Bears got back to the Wizard to score a milestone

Sunday might not have gone entirely to plan for Chris Woakes. In the absence of Chris Rushworth, Hassan Ali and the continued omission of Liam Norwell, it was indeed a welcome sight to witness Woakes walk out with his Warwickshire team-mates on the Edgbaston ground at 11 o’clock on Sunday, bear and tattered staff on the chest. .

It’s a beautiful day in Birmingham, the kind we’ve been longing for since spring. It’s clear and bright, but the temperature is also steadily improving. Hampshire, visitors to Edgbaston this week, won the toss and elected to bat. Woakes is bowled with the new ball and opens the bowling at the Birmingham End.

Barring a few T20 matches in recent times, it has been a while since the son of Birmingham played in whites at a Test match venue, with a Duke ball in hand and challenging top-order batsmen with swing and perseverance. With a busy summer on home soil – just as England look to capitalize on Woakes’ expertise – it was imperative he had a red ball under his belt to prepare.

This isn’t just another Championship game for Woakes to use so he can blow away the cobwebs, though. This is his 100th First Class game for the Bears, a fine achievement and a proud day for the Woakes clan itself. It has been 16 years since he burst onto the scene as a vivacious teenager and ended the 2008 campaign with 42 first-class wickets at an average of 20.5. In the last 99 matches, Woakes has taken 364 wickets.

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Amidst the pride, there will be an understandable sadness. Woakes lost his father Roger earlier in May and consequently took a short break from the sport. Returning to play for the Bears, Woakes continues to do what made his father happy. As he noted when he broke the tragic news: “I’ll be back playing cricket for Warwickshire, which my dad loved so much… I know playing cricket for Warwickshire and England made my dad incredibly proud.”

“It’s not nice, we’ve all lost someone we’re close to,” says Warwickshire head coach Mark Robinson. “He’s got his mum to support but he’s got two young kids and anyone with kids knows they don’t let you wallow in pain. They want to play with their father and do childish things, which is good. He came back, played those two T20 games, which is good for him. He hasn’t had a long bowl for a long time, but to have him back at any time is brilliant.”

Returning to a locker room after a period of pain may not feel like returning to the office or similar. You are more likely to be a tight-knit team in the dressing room, where more of your friends can be found, people who can help support you during a particularly difficult time. Like all of England last summer, when Woakes, introduced mid-series, inspired the Ashes country’s fightback, he is hugely loved by his team-mates.

“It’s always nice to have Wiz back,” smiles Sam Hain. “I love him to the core, he’s a heck of a player and he’s a heck of a person. He’s somebody who, especially at the beginning when I took a little break, was there for me. To have him back with us for a few games they were great The sun always seems to shine when Wiz is around.

So Woakes is back in a particularly familiar environment. The wicket looked decent to bat on, signaling Hants’ decision to go first, so Woakes and partner Oliver Hannon-Dalby struggled initially despite putting the ball in some decent areas. The ball usually found the gloves of Michael Burgess but the visitors have some impressive players and Nick Gubbins and Fletcha Middleton made life difficult. At 119/1, the Bears needed some inspiration.

They got a few, through OHD and Ed Barnard, while Craig Miles also claimed three victims, including two in the space of three deliveries in an over. Woakes finished with solid, if unspectacular, figures of 15-5-36-1, although it would have been cruel not to have left the field with a wicket to his name. Fortunately, right at the end of Hampshire’s innings, in which they were bowled out for 298, he found the edge of Kyle Abbott.

The Bears openers then played an entertaining final period of the first day. With a dozen overs left on the day, Will Rhodes and Alex Davies were finding lucky boundaries to third man whenever they came across the covers. Both were unseated by Abbott, however, in the closing stages to start an interesting morning on day two. For Woakes, he will hope to have his legs up for a longer period of time before his services are required with the bat.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support I’ve had in the last month to six weeks,” he said, on his return to the cricketing sphere. “Everyone has been very good in welcoming me back, but the cricket field is where I need to be, that’s what I know. I’ve been doing it for almost 20 years and it’s great to be back out there making my dad proud but also trying to play with a smile on my face.

“It’s my first four-day game in over a year, so I felt a little rusty on the first day. I feel better about the overs in the tank, I need those overs under my belt, but pretty happy with how it went.

“There is cricket everywhere you look. For Warwickshire, for the Hundred teams, for England, I’d like to play as much of a part as possible in everything. I still think at the top of my list is to play for England for as long as possible. I want to be part of that team again but there is so much cricket until the end of September.

Woakes’ return to domestic cricket can often be brief before the ECB calls again. Even if that’s the case, as fleeting as it may be, it’s still great to see him back in a Bears jersey.