‘Never done it before’: Woakes’ dream BPL debut

It has become a familiar trend in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 for franchises to rope in high-profile foreign players during the knockout phase. While many fail to live up to expectations, former England all-rounder Chris Woakes delivered an instant impact for Sylhet Titans on Tuesday.

Woakes’ dramatic last-ball six sealed a thrilling three-wicket victory over Rangpur Riders, confirming Sylhet’s place in the second qualifier of the ongoing 12th edition of the BPL at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

The 36-year-old arrived in Dhaka early Sunday and took part in two practice sessions before making his BPL debut for Sylhet. He made his presence felt immediately, producing a match-winning all-round performance.

With the ball, Woakes was outstanding, finishing with two for 15 from four overs. His spell included the prized wicket of Dawid Malan (four) and a late breakthrough to dismiss Aliss Al Islam (four). His efforts played a crucial role as Sylhet restricted Rangpur to 111 for nine after opting to field first.

Given the modest target, Woakes might not have expected to bat. However, the situation changed dramatically when set batter Sam Billings (29 off 40 balls) was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman on the first ball of the penultimate over.

At that point, Sylhet needed 15 runs off 11 balls, with Moeen Ali at the crease. The equation eventually came down to six runs off the final ball, with Woakes on strike, batting on four off three deliveries.

Rangpur all-rounder Faheem Ashraf conceded just three runs from the first five balls of the final over and also removed Moeen (five) with the fourth delivery, setting up a tense finish. Woakes, however, smashed a full-length delivery over extra cover for a six to clinch a last-ball victory, playing the most crucial part in their nail-biting win.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Woakes said the moment was particularly special as he had previously failed in similar situations.

“It is very exciting. Winning a game of cricket with a six off the last ball is something I have never done before,” said Woakes, who retired from international cricket last year after having featured in 217 international matches for England across formats.

“I have been in that situation before where I needed to hit a six and was unable to do it, so to get one over the line is something I will remember. It makes it a little more special since it was my first match in the BPL for this team.” 

He also revealed how he anticipated the final delivery. “I tried to think about where I would bowl in that moment. Generally, if you need six to win, a wide yorker is a good ball if you execute it. 

"On that pitch, the slower balls were the hardest to hit, and Faheem had bowled five cutters. I was expecting the cutter and set myself for it, but when it was pace-on, I just reacted.”

Despite the memorable win, Woakes warned against complacency, stressing that every remaining match is a knockout.

“I don’t think you can ever be too confident or allow complacency to creep in. We have another game in 24 hours, so we have to recover and find out who we are playing. 

"In cricket, once a game is gone, it’s gone. Everyone starts at zero the next game. 

"The message will be to stay level, stay in the moment, and focus on the next opponent.”