Woakes set to miss rest of Test after shoulder injury

Chris Woakes, England’s pace bowler, is likely to miss the final five Test matches 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 Warwickshire man is likely to undergo an overnight scan, and England will update him on Friday.

Gus Atkinson, a pace bowler with BBC Sport, said, “It doesn’t look great. If he participates in any game, “I’ll be surprised.”

It’s the series’ final game, Atkinson continued, “and it’s unfortunate when anyone gets hurt.” We’re hoping it’s okay. Everyone will support him without any restrictions, whatever it may be.

After India closed on Thursday, April 4th, the England medical staff treated and evaluated the wounded and kept them on the ground.

The only pace bowler from England to have appeared in every Test of the grueling five-match series is cruel to Woakes, who is the only one.

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. There are concerns that his future in international cricket will be hampered by his injury at 36.

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

The series’ leading wicket-taker, England’s captain Ben Stokes, is ill with a shoulder injury, while Mark Wood is a frequent absentee. 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.

Following a hamstring injury, Jamie Overton is returning to the team after being sidelined for the previous two Tests, and Atkinson is playing his first senior professional match of the year in more than two months.

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.

England will need to rely on the other three seamers, as well as Jacob Bethell’s and Joe Root’s spin, if Woakes is ruled out for the remainder of the Test.

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.