England determined to end run of first Test defeats, says Chris Woakes

England have lost the first Test in their last five multi-game series and in eight of their last ten, including - most recently - at the Ageas Bowl against West Indies

England are determined to correct a curious run that has seen them lose the first match of their last five multi-Test series and eight of their last ten, insists Chris Woakes.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s first Test against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford, the seamer admitted neither he nor his teammates had been able to understand the logic behind the run.

The unusual statistic extends to eight of their last ten series, with defeats at the Gabba and Edgbaston against Australia, Eden Park and Bay Oval against New Zealand, Lord’s against Pakistan, Centurion against South Africa and against West Indies at Kensington Oval and – last month – the Ageas Bowl. The one-off win against Ireland at Lord's is a rare exception.

“We don’t see ourselves as having an excuse at all, really,” Woakes said. “I think it’s just a matter of the way it’s worked. I’d love to be able to put my finger on it and I’m sure the management and the team would as well.

“It’s getting to the stage where it’s not coincidence, but it is just a coincidence that we keep losing that first Test match. We want to put that right. Obviously, this is a new series and we want to make sure that’s right. We’ll do as much analysis as we usually do, and we want to make sure that we’re as well prepared as possible.

“We know the conditions here at Old Trafford. There are no excuses and hopefully we can put that right this week and start with a strong performance against Pakistan and hopefully get one up in this three-match series.

“We’d like to start series a little bit better and get our foot in the door and not have to come from behind. In a three-match series in particular, you probably want to get that first win under your belt early just to give you a bit of breathing space, I suppose. We’d like to start this series a bit better than we did the last one.”

^{Chris Woakes took 5 for 50 in West Indies' second innings}

He added that he hoped the preceding Test series against West Indies might afford England some advantage, with Pakistan not having played a Test since February.

While Misbah-ul-Haq’s side have been in England for more than a month now and have played  intra-squad matches, the difference between Test cricket and any imitation remains stark.

Woakes admitted that England felt “probably a little bit under-prepared from a match point of view” going into the first Test against West Indies.

“You can do as much as you can in prep, in nets and in practice but nothing really gives you that time in the middle and that match sharpness,” he explained. “Hopefully, having had that series will stand us in good stead but the Pakistan team are a dangerous team.”

For Woakes, this particular series brings back positive memories. Having played his first eight Tests over a three-year period with only intermittent success, he then took 26 wickets in four matches at 16.73 apiece when Pakistan toured in the summer of 2016 to kick-start his England career.

“It was a breakthrough for me really in the Test team,” he recalled. “The winter prior to that in South Africa didn’t go as well as I’d have liked, and I probably doubted whether potentially I was going to get another opportunity.

“That was a real good turning point for me in 2016 – just found a bit of rhythm, got the ball moving in the air and bowled at decent pace that summer. I feel like I’ve changed as a cricketer since then. With experience and time, you obviously develop new skills but also I feel like I’ve become a lot more consistent both as a cricketer and as a person as well. I suppose it’s the complete package – the older you get, the wiser you get. You kind of learn your game a little bit more. Hopefully I can draw on those memories and bring some of that form back to this series.”

^{There is some severe competition for places among England's seamers}

Whether the 31-year-old needs to draw on history at the moment is another question entirely. The Warwickshire man bowled impeccably against West Indies and was rewarded with a five-wicket haul in the final innings of the series.

His record in England is now superior to that of both Stuart Broad and James Anderson; he has now taken 81 wickets an average of just 22.53. That, however, is not enough to guarantee him a position in England’s strongest side. Come Wednesday, Woakes will find himself up against Broad, Anderson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Sam Curran in a battle for three seam-bowling spots – a fourth would become available should England opt either to leave out Dom Bess or retain their structure from the last Test, with Zak Crawley omitted to compensate for Ben Stokes’ inability to bowl.

“Competition for bowling spots is high,” he stressed. “There are a lot of people who could easily walk into that team. I think we’ve seen throughout that last series that pretty much every player who came in put their hand up – particularly with the ball at some point.

“Obviously, I hope that I’ve done enough to keep my spot this week but we’ll see what the coach and captain decide to go with.

“I hope that I’ve done enough to be in that starting eleven. We’ve got two of England’s greats charging in and taking wickets every time they play and we’ve got exciting fast bowlers as well. It’s not an easy team to be cemented in, so my record in England is brilliant and I’m obviously pleased with that. I want to keep getting better, I want to keep improving myself.

“Every time I get the opportunity to play for England whether it’s home or away, I give 110 per cent and try to do my best for the team. I’m really pleased with how it went in the last series against West Indies. Hopefully it’s enough to keep me in the team for this week, but selection is not an easy thing. Obviously, I’ve done really well and if selected, then great; but if not, I’ll get myself ready for whenever my next game is.”

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