Despite a dislocated shoulder, Chris Woakes bravely walked out to bat in the final Test against India at the Oval. He prioritized the team’s needs, even with the risk of further injury, earning respect from both sides.
England’s bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes opened up on going bat to bat with his injured shoulder on the final day of the fifth and final Test of the recently concluded series against Team India at the Oval in London.
Woakes suffered a dislocation on his left shoulder while fielding on Day 2 of the Oval Decider and was ruled out of further participation in the series finale. Thus, the 36-year-old did not come out to bat in the first innings. However, surprisingly, when England’s ninth wicket fell and needed 17 runs to chase down a 374-run target, Woakes walked out to bat wearing a sling on his left shoulder.
Despite being initially ruled out of further participation in the Oval Decider, Joe Root confirmed that Woakes would bat if needed on the final day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. However, Chris Woakes did not bat as Gus Atkinson carried on England’s hopes of chasing down the target, but dashed as they were bundled out for 367, and Team India won the Oval Decider by six wickets to draw the five-match Test series.
‘I never considered not going out there’
A few days after England’s defeat in the Oval Decider, Chris Woakes spoke about his decision to bat despite an injured shoulder on the final day. Speaking to The Guardian, the 36-year-old stated that he was not even considering walking out to bat, but was happy with the standing ovation and the respect shown by Indian players after the match.
“I’m still gutted, devastated really, that we couldn’t get the fairytale. But I never considered not going out there, even if it had been 100 runs still to win or whatever,” Woakes said.
“It was nice to have the ovation and some of the Indian players came over to show their respect. But any other player would have done the same. You couldn’t just call it off at nine wickets down,”
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Chris Woakes’ shoulder injury was a big blow for England as Ben Stokes was ruled out of the Oval Decider due to a muscle tear in his shoulder, and Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse were rested for the series finale.
Woakes played all five Test matches and was the lead pacer for England throughout the Test series against England. Before walking off the field due to a shoulder injury, Chris Woakes picked a wicket of KL Rahul and conceded 46 runs at an economy rate of 3.30 in 14 overs.
Woakes was worried about his shoulder
Further speaking about his shoulder injury, Chris Woakes recalls his intense pain while taking the first run from the non-striker’s end at the end of every over. Despite medication, instinct took over, causing him to fear re-injury, prompting a frantic check of his shoulder’s condition.
“The first one was the worst. All I had taken was codeine, and it was just so sore. Instinct took over here – even with my arm strapped down, I tried to run as you naturally do,” the 36-year-old said.
“I genuinely worried my shoulder had popped back out again, hence you saw me throw my helmet off, rip the glove off with my teeth, and check it was OK,” he added.
Meanwhile, Woakes was the third-highest wicket-taker for England in the recently concluded Test series, with 11 wickets at an average of 52.18 and an economy rate of 3.17.