After 20 seasons, a third County title and 62 Tests, Chris Woakes gets brutally honest about England's culture and the way his international career ended.
Chris Woakes is not done talking, and he is not holding back. Fresh from his 20th season as a pro, the England all-rounder sat down in the indoor nets at Edgbaston on a grey October afternoon and spoke candidly about the dressing-room culture he believes needs fixing.
Woakes says the behaviour of some England players has been unacceptable. He also reflects on his surreal final stand at The Oval and on how he feels he was treated by England managing director Rob Key, which he describes as shabby. The conversation also takes in cricket's long-running and difficult relationship with drinking.
The timing carries weight. Woakes has just claimed his third County Championship title with Warwickshire, a fitting high for a player who finished with 62 Tests, 192 wickets and 2,034 runs for England. He also lifted two World Cups along the way, so he speaks with real authority.
He has also seen the game from many angles. Woakes worked under coaches ranging from Andy Flower to Brendon McCullum, and played under captains as different as Sir Alastair Cook, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root and Ben Stokes. Through all of it, he says, the best advice came from his parents, especially his dad, when he was 17: always be yourself.
