England all-rounder Chris Woakes has revealed that he opted out of IPL 2020 in order to be with his pregnant wife but need not have officially announced his withdrawal from the T20 league, which has now been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 outbreak.

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Last month, Woakes – who was roped in by Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.5 Crore at the auction last year – had pulled out of IPL 13 citing that he wanted to remain fresh for England's home Test summer, which is also currently on hold owing to the pandemic.

"In hindsight, I probably didn't need to pull out. I didn't say it at the time but we're expecting another baby in September and that added to the decision. My wife wasn't well at home. The idea of being away from home for three months was going to be too much. Family had to come first," he was quoted as saying by 'The Cricketer'.

Woakes might not have played a T20I for England since November 2015 but insisted he is not finished playing the shortest format.

"By no means do I feel like I'm finished in T20. I'd still love to play in the IPL," he added.

For Woakes, national commitment remains a top priority but he is open to playing other tournaments.

"I want to play as much cricket as I can moving forward while looking after my body. My England career is No 1 but if opportunities come up, I'd still like to play in them."

Asked about the T20 World Cup slated to be held in October-November down under, Woakes said it would be tough for him to make the squad.

"At the minute it doesn't quite look like I'm going to get a go in T20 unless something drastic happens in terms of injuries. I'd probably have to have had an unbelievable summer."

Cricket has come to a grinding halt due to COVID-19 and Woakes is willing to play in an empty stadium without fans to get the international game running once the epidemic subsides.

"At least give the public something to watch and hopefully entertain some who are missing it a lot," he said.

"We'd want a three-week block (of preparation) to get overs in your legs to be able to back up a 20-over day in a Test. But again that might not be possible either. So I think two weeks would probably be the minimum," he added.

(With PTI inputs)