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Until this week, the closest Chris Woakes had come to a Test on his home ground was working with the groundstaff during the famous 2005 Ashes encounter, when the Warwickshire Academy players were asked to help with the covers.And if, six months ago, you had said that he would be the talk of Birmingham ahead of this Edgbaston Test there would have been some quizzical looks.Woakes finished the South Africa tour dispirited and frustrated: after Centurion, where he took 1 for 144, six Tests had brought eight wickets at an unflattering average of 63.75. When there was a spot for a spare pace bowler at the start of the summer it went to Jake Ball. Woakes knew he had slipped down the pecking order. It could have been a summer in the county game.Then Ben Stokes knee went in the opening Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley, England wanted as close to like-for-like as they could find and Woakes took a career-best 9 for 36 against Durham.Now, four matches into his comeback, Woakes has taken 26 wickets at 13.84, 18 of them in the two Tests against Pakistan, 11 at Lords when he filled the hole left by James Andersons absence. He has shown he is far more than just injury cover for both Anderson and Stokes, his form with bat and ball securing a first-choice place in the XI.On Wednesday or Thursday, weather permitting, he will mark his batting guard or measure out his run in front of the stands that he used to sit in as a kid. Somewhere among the crowd will be friends (plenty of them, judging by the ticket requests he has received over recent days) and family - including his father, Roger, who is unable to watch his son overseas due to suffering from claustrophobia, which prevents him from flying - those he used to come down to the ground with when an England career was still a far-off dream.In a turn of fate, the opening day of the Test will come ten years and a day since Woakes first-class debut against West Indies A on this ground in a Warwickshire side that also included Moeen Ali. He took the wickets of Sylvester Joseph, Jason Mohammad and Sewnarine Chattergoon while making 4 batting at No. 9.Now, after 10 Tests, he sits with a batting average of 35.00 and bowling average of 25.58. The sample size remains small, but the turnaround has been remarkable.It will be a special week, he says, after Centurion it would be silly to think Id have the summer I have had. I had doubts that I may not play Test cricket again unless there were quite a few injuries, but Id have been disappointed if Centurion was my last game because I knew I had so much more to offer.I actually bowled well in the first Test in Durban and probably didnt get the rewards, had Hashim Amla dropped. Who knows if that had gone in, you end up getting a five-for. It just wasnt working for me. I then had four weeks off without playing and didnt bowl well in the nets leading into the last Test. I just didnt feel as good as I could have been, so it wasnt a great position to be going into a Test match.I was scratching my head a little, especially after Centurion. I can do it at first-class level, why arent I showing it at the next level? But its amazing what six months can do for you.There hasnt been any magical formula to Woakes summer of success. However, the increase in pace has been noticeable and now he has been able to marry it with accuracy helped, he says, by not bowling day-in day-out at county level.I fell into a trap in my early years of just trying to pitch it up, swing it and conserve some energy because I knew Id have to bowl 25 overs a day. We all know the schedule is crazy. Now I bowl a little less but at full tilt, but the most important thing is I use my front arm more and my run up is a bit quicker.It sounds two simple things, but to put them into practice is actually quite difficult. Id put on the pace quite quickly but my accuracy suffered. It took a while, it didnt happen overnight, probably the last two years.Still, the margins between success and failure remain small. Woakes, himself, has barely noticed what others - notably assistant coach Paul Farbrace - believes has made a key difference.Farby feels Ive bowled a fraction fuller this summer. In previous years he felt I was a little bit safe, bowling a little bit short, worried about getting driven or attacking the stumps. I havent tried to do it on purpose but that might be the case.Such has been Woakes rise, that he is being seen as an integral part for England this week by his more senior team-mates. Stuart Broad has spoken about using his local knowledge but, in the slightly deferential manner that is reflective of Woakes character, he says there is not a massive amount of insider tips to be given out.Warwickshire have sometimes played two spinners here this season, but Woakes expects more grass to be left on than for county games, although the surface certainly looked less green than last years Ashes encounter.You generally want to bowl a bit fuller. Its all about conditions, I know people say that about Lords but its massive here. Sometimes you go through periods when the ball does nothing because the sun is out then in overcast conditions it can be completely different. It almost looks a different colour when the clouds come out.With or without cloud cover, Woakes is proving himself a Test bowler.Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For more on Investec private banking, visit investec.co.uk/banking Wholesale Kyrie Irving Shoes . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Kyrie Irving Shoes From China . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. https://www.cheapshoeskyrieirving.com/ . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Kyrie Irving Shoes Deals . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Kyrie Irving Shoes Free Shipping . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. The Pittsburgh Steelers have made the postseason 16 times in 24 seasons, played in four Super Bowls and won two of them since 1992. That was also the last time the Washington Redskins made the playoffs in consecutive years.When the two teams meet at FedEx Field on Monday night, it will be a matchup of one of the NFLs most reliable franchises versus one trying to shed a circus image that has slowly begun to change under second-year general manager Scot McCloughan.For the Redskins, this season is about proving that they are finally building a sustainable winner. For the Steelers, 2016 is about regaining their perch atop the NFL following last years tight AFC divisional playoff loss to Denver, the eventual Super Bowl champion.More Super Bowl titles, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said when asked his goals at age 34. Having two is great, but I think every year every team should be striving to win it. I want to win as many as I can.The Steelers and Redskins dont meet often. They havent played at FedEx Field since 2008. But that night was an embarrassment for Washington -- a 23-6 loss on Monday Night Football where Pittsburgh fans appeared to outnumber the home supporters.In all, the Steelers have won five in a row in this series. But the Redskins are out to prove that last years 9-7 season and playoff berth werent flukes -- even if some veteran players acknowledge they were products of a bad division in 2015.We have a great opportunity to go be effective and play well and thats exciting and something for our fans to be excited about, Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins said. But, weve got to go out and prove it. Weve got to go out and play well and right now, its just talk and it doesnt mean a whole lot.Mondays game presents many intriguing matchups, however. None is bigger than Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, the leagues highest-paid player at his position, and Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown, who tied for the NFL in receptions last season with 136.When you look at a wide receiver in the NFL, you dont have to stop nowhere other than Antonio Brown, Norman said. It starts and it ends with him. Thats going to be a tall task to take on.Pittsburgh is without star running back LaVeon Bell (three-game suspension) and wide receiver Marrtavis Bryant (one-year suspension).dddddddddddd Those are concerns. As is a relatively young secondary that will have to slow a Redskins passing offense featuring DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, tight end Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder. That doesnt even include first-round pick Josh Doctson (left Achilles tendon), who returned to practice this week.Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton also has been ruled out because of a shoulder injury. Pittsburgh will go to Washington with four receivers: Antonio Brown, Sammie Coates, Eli Rogers and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Either Coates or Heyward-Bey will replace Wheaton in the starting lineup.I think the first game is less about the people that you play and more about doing you, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. Us being detail-oriented from an assignment standpoint, playing hard and communicating well.Washington made it through the regular season relatively unscathed., It lost outside linebacker Junior Galette (torn right Achilles tendon) before camp even began. But Doctson is back practicing and running back Matt Jones (separated left shoulder) is expected to play after practicing with full contact on Wednesday. Otherwise, the Redskins are healthy save for defensive end Kendall Reyes (groin).But Washington didnt beat a single playoff team last season en route to nine wins.No other NFC East team made it and two divisions rival (New York Giants, Philadelphia) fired their coaches. The Redskins were outclassed by Super Bowl contenders Carolina and New England in the second half of the season and decisively beaten by Green Bay in the NFC wild-card round at home.The Steelers provide an opportunity to beat one of those reliable contenders early in the season. For Washington coach Gruden, it is a measuring stick.(Pittsburgh does) a great job in-house scouting and developing their guys and bringing guys into that building, Gruden said. Theyve been good for a long time for a reason. They have a great scouting staff, a great coaching staff, and theyre very dangerous all across the board -- receiver, if a running back goes down, theyve got another one coming up. They just keep refueling. ' ' '