Chris Woakes is known as The Wizard among his teammates but, as he prepares to return to the fray in a postcard‑perfect Grenada on Monday, England’s most reliable seamer maintains there is no magic behind his success with the new ball.

The 29-year-old missed the series levelling defeat in Barbados on Friday because of ongoing management of tendonitis in his right knee. Though a late collapse ultimately cost England a 2-0 lead, it was only the second time in 10 matches they have failed to take a wicket in the opening powerplay.

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Woakes was also missing on the previous occasion – Sri Lanka in Colombo last October – and this is more than coincidence; over the past two years he has the best average in the world during the first 10 overs, taking 22 wickets at 17.36 runs apiece.

The resumption of hostilities with West Indies on Monday at Queen’s Park – with an earlier start of 1.30pm GMT because the ground has no floodlights – involves a short boundary and a seemingly flat pitch. Chris Gayle and John Campbell, two aggressive Jamaicans, may seek to take advantage but Woakes simply views this as an opportunity to strike.

“If they make a mistake you may take a pole or create a chance,” Woakes said. “My mantra is to put the ball where they don’t want it – there’s no real magic behind it. It’s the time when you’re most likely to get a little bit of movement.”

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Gayle has not exactly raced out of the blocks this series, of course, with scores of 135 and 50 built on a heavy diet of dot balls first up. Woakes, the only England bowler yet to be heaved out of the ground by the 39-year-old, is taking little for granted. “That’s not always the way Gayle plays – we’ve played games against him where he’s gone from ball one,” he said.

“You need to expect the unexpected. He can easily come out and try and hit you for six from the first few balls. You need to be on it and prepared for anything. He’s done it for a long period of time. It’s exciting to watch ... unless you’re bowling.”

West Indies teammates may be denied singles or twos by Gayle’s glacial running between the crease but Darren Bravo, speaking ahead of his 100th cap, said: “He’s probably getting a little slow. He can still hit two sixes in the next over and make up for the single that was deprived from the other batter. He’s not even a hero; he’s a legend.”

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Woakes says he was fit to play on Friday and with gaps chiefly of four or five days between group games at the World Cup this summer he remains confident his dicky knee – something he has managed for at least five years – can stand up to scrutiny in the tournament. Though frustrated by his lack of action in the recent Test series, there are no fears over his future in the longer format just yet.

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England were minded to revert to their team for the first one-day international 24 hours out, meaning Tom Curran may well drop out for Woakes. Team policy in recent years has been to play their strongest XI until a series win is complete, although planning for the World Cup may start to blur this a touch. To this end, the fitness of Mark Wood – their best bowler on Friday by harnessing reverse swing with the older ball – is being closely monitored but a batting lineup that lost six for 35 in that match has the chance to atone in fresh surroundings.

West Indies, meanwhile, have called up Andre Russell for the fourth ODI on Thursday, the explosive all-rounder having battled a knee injury of late. Carlos Brathwaite, struggling to match the feats of his six-hitting spree in the World T20 final three years ago and going at seven an over this series, may have one game to keep the Jamaican from taking his place.