Woakes aims high

Chris Woakes caught the eye during his international debut in Australia last winter - both with bat and ball - and he's started this domestic season in fine style to keep himself well in the England reckoning. Paul Newman caught up with him in the Daily Mail and found a confident young man eager to make his mark.

'A lot of my early form has been down to playing four-day cricket in the West Indies with the Lions before the season,' said Woakes, who has a century to his name already this year to add to his 17 Championship wickets. 'The England performance programme has played a massive part in my development and, after a winter playing mainly with a white ball, facing good opposition on flat wickets in first-class cricket was ideal. It got me off and running.'

Woakes is just one of a number of young England cricketers enjoying impressive early-season form ahead of the international summer. Over at The Cricketer website, Christopher Martin-Jenkins says the signs are very promising with plenty of options to choose from.

Other things being equal, Anderson will no doubt lead the attack at what used to be called Sophia Gardens on May 26, with two from Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad. But what a line-up of reserves that would leave: Finn, Shahzad, Onions, Woakes, Dernbach, Harris, Roland-Jones…. there is a case, certainly, for a system of rotation.