Woakes out of final Test with shoulder injury

Chris Woakes, an England pace bowler, was sidelined for the remainder of their crucial fifth Test against India because he injured his shoulder on the opening day of play at The Oval.

When Woakes landed awkwardly late on Thursday, he was tumbling to make a boundary stop. In a clear disorientation, he left the field while wearing a makeshift sling.

The 36-year-old was assessed overnight, and England gave the all-clear assurance that he would not play any more until the following day.

At the conclusion of the series, England stated that a “further assessment will be conducted.”

The home side must avoid defeat in the fifth Test to win the series, which places them in a precarious position.

After Ben Stokes’ shoulder injury caused him to miss the first game, England already had a new lineup.

With only Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue serving as frontline seamers, Jacob Bethell and Joe Root’s spin is now available, leaving England with only Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue.

After England won the toss and chose to field first, India finished the first day with a score of 204-6.

Woakes, the only pace bowler from England to have played in each of the grueling five-match series, is suffering from a broken ankle.

In his previous four Test matches, he struggled to make an impact on flat surfaces, taking ten wickets. KL Rahul, the opener for India, was playing on his stumps at The Oval on day one before getting injured.

Woakes was already in a fight to make an appearance in England’s winter ashes tour due to his poor home record. He may be concerned that his future in international cricket will be harmed by this injury.

Woakes’ injury also has a significant impact on an England pace attack that has already been slowed due to injuries and exhaustion.

Mark Wood has a long-term absence from Stokes. Following a knee injury, Olly Stone is only just beginning to recover.

England’s bowling unit already had a makeshift look even before the Woakes injury, with Matthew Potts, who was centrally contracted, being overlooked for the entire Test summer and Sam Cook missing after making his debut against Zimbabwe in May.

After being overlooked for the previous two Tests, Tongue returned to the team, and Atkinson is playing his first senior professional match in more than two months, and Overton is clinching his second Test cap after being injured for his first.

On the opening day of The Oval, it meant that England would frequently be erratic in favorable circumstances. An unbeaten 52 from Karun Nair kept India in a strong position despite the extras’ 30 runs conceded.

With a score of 2-31, Atkinson claimed that his enforced injury absence will help him recover from the Woakes’ absence.

Atkinson remarked, “I feel fresh and good.” To push the boundaries a little bit, I know I have just one game to play.

England came away with a poor ball play to defeat India to 153-6, but Nair and Washington Sundar’s unbroken stand of 51 earned the match.

According to Atkinson, “I think it should be easy for the bowlers to hit runs on the pitch and overheads,” but I don’t believe it should be so.