Woakes will be considered overseas – McCullum

England fast bowler Chris Woakes will be considered for overseas tours despite his poor record away from home, says head coach Brendon McCullum.

Woakes, 35, averages 21.83 with the ball in 31 Tests in England, but that rises sharply to 51.95 in 20 games overseas.

Some have questioned Woakes’ selection after England gave James Anderson, 41, a tap on the shoulder as they look to build an attack capable of winning back the Ashes in Australia in 2025-26.

Captain Ben Stokes has said he could not explain why Woakes had remained available but Anderson was asked to retire without sounding “ageist”.

Woakes averages 51.68 in seven Tests down under and does not reach the high speeds that England often desire for that trip.

Asked if Woakes could play overseas, McCullum said: “Yeah, why not?

“The way he bowled on these flat surfaces [in the West Indies series], reversing the ball, he was able to prise out some wickets.”

Woakes initially struggled for rhythm in the 3-0 series win over West Indies, having only played two red-ball games for Warwickshire this summer following the death of his father.

He improved throughout and finished with 11 wickets in the series.

“He’s a remarkable cricketer who probably hasn’t played as much as he could have in international cricket but every time he has, he’s done really well,” said McCullum.

“Whether that means he plays overseas, let’s wait and see but it’s hard to rub him out right now. He’s done incredibly well and I’m delighted for him.”

Another consideration for England is Woakes’ ability with the bat. He scored 134 runs at eight, including a crucial 67 in the first innings at Edgbaston, having come in when the hosts were 169-6 and 113 behind.

England will struggle to find those runs elsewhere with Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer possible future options, though there is no guarantee any of them will make it to Australia.

Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley could fulfil that role in the long term but both behind Shoaib Bashir as England’s frontline spinner.

England will also need to balance their attack for Australia, especially with at least one pink-ball Test expected to be part of the schedule, and Woakes would help do that alongside the high pace of Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Archer and Josh Tongue.

“There’s a little bit of ammo that we are going to need on flat wickets when times arise,” said McCullum.