Had to give up one, so chose World Cup and Ashes over IPL: Chris Woakes

Delhi Capitals all-rounder Chris Woakes has revealed why he decided to pull out of the second phase of the Indian Premier League. With IPL, T20 World Cup, and Ashes all scheduled one after the other within the next three-four months, Woakes said he had to give up on one.

In fact, Woakes was picked by the England board for the T20 World Cup and the all-rounder was not expecting himself to be selected. The all-rounder showed good form in the Oval Test against India as he picked seven wickets in the Test and also scored a fifty in the first innings.

Meanwhile, the fifth Test match was cancelled after Covid-19 concerns in the Indian camp as Yogesh Parmar was tested positive for the virus. The English media and some of the former England cricketers feel that Indian players prioritized their IPL contracts and money was more important for them.

Thus, as England players like Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, and Dawid Malan have decided to pull out of the IPL, it has been reported that they are trying to take their revenge from the Indian board.

“My inclusion in the World Cup squad, I didn’t know was going to happen – especially a couple of months ago. The IPL has been rescheduled and thrown on to the end of our summer,” Woakes was quoted as saying by ‘The Guardian’.

“With the World Cup and the Ashes, it would have been too much in a short space of time. I would have loved to have been part of the IPL but something has to give,” Woakes, who will play for Warwickshire this week, said.

Woakes wants to be ready for the big T20 World Cup and the Ashes later in the year.

“A World Cup and an Ashes tour, it’s almost as big a winter as our summer was in 2019. It’s a shame with what’s going on Covid-wise that it’s not going to be as normal as everyone would like. But, from a cricket perspective, it’s very exciting.”