Why England star Chris Woakes would opt for World Cup glory over home Ashes victory
The Ashes or World Cup glory?
Perhaps not the age-old question, England all-rounder Chris Woakes is eyeing up a sensational double as Trevor Bayliss’ team host both contests this summer.
They may win both, they may win neither.
But asked to pick one, the Birmingham-born danger man knows his choice.
“If it was a matter of life or death and I had to choose one, it would probably be the World Cup,' he told the Mail Online.
“Just because World Cups at home don't come around too often and we're not often in a position like this as a team.
“I've only played one home Test against Australia, in my debut series in 2013, but we won the Ashes that summer.
“To potentially lift the World Cup at Lord's, the home of cricket — that doesn't come around very often. The opportunity to do that is too big to turn down.”
Australia, somewhat coincidentally, are holders of both the Ashes and World Cup -having lifted the trophy as joint-hosts in 2015, alongside New Zealand.
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The Ashes is traditionally viewed as one of the elite competitions in cricket, pitting England against their antipode rivals.
Indeed, when referring to a sport steeped in tradition, it might seem peculiar that Woakes has opted for the shorter-form glory.
But he missed out on a potential home Champions Trophy triumph in 2017 after picking up a side strain in the hosts’ win over Bangladesh.
England eventually fell short in that tournament - a disappointing eight-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the semi-finals - and Woakes is determined to avoid a similar fate.
“If you need any more motivation for a home World Cup, that's mine, having missed out on the Champions Trophy,” he said. “We'd marked that tournament as a stepping stone in our development and had a chance to win it on home soil.
“For me to bow out in the second over was really frustrating. I'd done some really hard yards to make sure I was part of that team.
“With a home World Cup, and the form we've shown over the past couple of years, you're desperate to be a part of that.”
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