England’s Chris Woakes fears that he might never play Test cricket again following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.

After knee surgery, the Warwickshire pace bowling all-rounder was sidelined from first-class cricket for more than a year, and he has not played a Test since facing the West Indies in March 2022.

However, the 34-year-old has been included in England’s squad for their solitary Test against Ireland at Lord’s beginning on Thursday, and a strong performance at the ‘Home of Cricket’ could lead to Woakes’ inclusion in the upcoming home Ashes series.

“Last summer was quite a tough summer for me personally, missing out on not just England cricket but all cricket,” Woakes told reporters at Lord’s on Tuesday.

There was no hiding the relief Woakes, a veteran of 45 Tests, felt when he received a phone call from England coach Brendon McCullum informing him he had been reinstated to the red-ball squad.

“When Brendan did call me it felt, not like the first call-up, but it always means a lot and it’s great to be back amongst it,” he said.

“Those sort of doubts (about playing again for England) do run through your mind a little bit. That’s part and parcel of professional sport, whether it be form, injury or whatever it is, there’s always someone knocking on the door, younger players ready to come in.”

Since McCullum and captain Ben Stokes joined forces a year ago, England have won ten of twelve Tests.

But despite the fact that fellow pacemen James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have been rested for the Ireland match in the hopes that they will be fully fit for next month’s Ashes opener at Edgbaston, Woakes still hopes to face Australia this season.

“Of course,” he replied. “Every time you put on the uniform, it’s an opportunity to impress and contribute to team victories, and with a massive summer ahead, you want to be a part of that.”

Woakes, whose five Tests at Lord’s have produced an impressive batting average of 61.20 and 27 wickets at a dreadful 11.33 runs per wicket, added: “It’s an opportunity if I get the nod on Thursday, then I’ll obviously be doing my best to contribute to the team winning and putting in a personal performance.

“You look across the board and we’ve got a very, very good pool of fast bowlers. There has been a couple of niggles around, obviously, and with a big summer ahead you would imagine we’re going to need that big pool of fast bowlers at some point.”

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