England wait to learn extent of Woakes’ injury

Following Chris Woakes’ heroics in the classic fifth Test against India, England will later this week learn the extent of his shoulder injury.

Woakes appeared to be playing baseball with his left arm in a sling on the final day despite having a suspected dislocation on the opening day of The Oval.

England needed 17 runs to win, but the 36-year-old ran between the wickets four times, supporting Gus Atkinson. In one of history’s most dramatic finishes, England were ultimately defeated by six runs.

On Wednesday, Woakes will have scans and a second evaluation.

England head coach Brendon McCullum said, “We hope the injury is not too bad, but we will have to work that out over the next week or so.”

Woakes, the only England bowler to have appeared in all five of the series’ five Tests, was hurt on Thursday night when he attempted a stop on the boundary.

England stated on Friday morning that “he will not be able to play the Test because of the injury.”

However, McCullum revealed that Woakes had offered to bat at the conclusion of England’s first innings on Friday.

In the first innings, Watsonsy addressed me and said, “Do you want me to bat?” “,” said McCullum, a native of New Zealand.

He was in excruciating pain within 24 hours of the incident occurring.

Woakes was spotted wearing his whites as England drew near the top target of 374 in their second innings on Sunday. To figure out how to bat, he had throw-downs.

Woakes emerged from the dressing room, his injured arm covered in an England sweater. Before Mohammed Siraj bowled Atkinson, the Test was over and India received a 2-2 series draw after Atkinson shielded him from the strike for 16 minutes in the middle.

Although Woakes did not face a delivery, it is believed he was planning to stand in left. His healthy right arm would now be in charge of the ball with the help of this, and the ball would have been as far away as possible from his injured left shoulder.

McCullum responded, “It’s what you want from our players.” This game is challenging both mentally and physically, and it places us in some difficult situations. We occasionally experience injuries. These men are desperate to show that they still want to go out and do your best for their country.

“Woakesy did that with great bravery,” I thought. Running between the wickets, you could see how much pain he was experiencing. I believed there might be a fairytale in which he was on strike and succeeded in finding a way to win. However, it was not meant to be.

Woakes’ injury leaves him a major doubt for the Ashes tour of Australia, which will begin in November, and he won’t play in the upcoming Tuesday-opening game of The Hundred.

Ben Stokes, England’s captain, had already been injured in his own shoulder and needed time to recover from the fifth Test.

The talismanic skipper, according to McCullum, will be “fine” for the Ashes. Stokes withdrew from The Hundred earlier this year, and he will instead pursue coaching and mentoring work for his Northern Superchargers team.

Woakes’ injury came at the conclusion of a series in which several players were injured.

In the third Test at Lord’s, England’s Shoaib Bashir batted with a broken finger, and Rishabh Pant, an Indian wicketkeeper, batted with a broken foot in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

Stokes was unwavering in his opposition to the idea, despite the controversy over whether injury replacements should be introduced.

“I don’t see it being anything,” Stokes said. I could have said to myself, “I’ll give it a go, hopefully I’ll come through, but if not, I know someone will step in and take my place. “