On 6 April 2009, Woakes was called up to the England Cricket squad for the World Twenty20 in June. Allan Donald tipped Woakes as a future England international cricketer. Woakes was then chosen to play for the England Lions in a warm-up match against the West Indies. In the first innings, he achieved bowling figures of 6–43 (including the wickets of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul) as the West Indies were bowled out for 203. During the same season he scored 131 not out against Hampshire, his maiden first-class century, batting at number nine and sharing a 222-run partnership with Jonathan Trott.