"Don’t want to be reliant on Ben all the time" - Chris Woakes hopes England cruise to victory on Day 4 at Headingley

England seamer Chris Woakes has demanded their batters get the job done on Day 4 at Headingley without relying on Ben Stokes. While the Warwickshire seamer admitted their captain is 'superhuman', he feels it's naive to depend on him every time.

England, chasing 251 to make the five-Test series 2-1, have already raced to 27-0 in five overs. They require another 224 runs, with Australia hoping to cause a dramatic turnaround to retain the Ashes.

Speaking to the Daily Mail after the day's play, Woakes, who has taken six wickets in the match, said he hopes England can cruise to a win. The 34-year-old added that there is excitement at the thought of keeping the Ashes alive at Headingley.

"It would be nice to do it a little bit easier," he said. "We don’t want to be reliant on Ben all the time. Although we do realise he’s superhuman, he can’t do it every time. Across the board, from 1 to 11, we’ve got to put a good shift in and try and get us over the line. It’s the opportunity to do something special. There is more excitement than nerves. We are excited at the thought of chasing down a score, winning the Test and keeping ourselves in the series."

The right-arm seamer took the wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey on Day 3 to derail Australia's progress. He dismissed Marsh in the first innings too, alongside Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head.

"We’re going to have to play well" - Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes. (Image Credits: Getty)

With the game not being a high-scoring one, Woakes knows they can't take it lightly as Australia will come all guns blazing. He said:

"We know we can chase scores as a team. It suits us. This team is always looking to be the aggressor and put a foot forward. But the scores haven’t been overly high in this game so you don’t just walk into it thinking it’s going to be a doddle. We’re going to have to play well. Australia will be thinking they are 10 wickets away from winning an Ashes series in England as well, so it's an exciting day for both teams."

The tourists already have a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, winning the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's.