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England cricket star Chris Woakes showed remarkable courage by coming out to bat on Day 5 of the fifth Test against India at The Oval on Monday, despite suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder. Woakes sustained the injury while fielding on Day 1 and was sidelined for the rest of the match, with the England Cricket Board (ECB) even confirming he had been ruled out due to injury. However, in a surprise move, Woakes walked out to bat at No. 11 after Prasidh Krishna dismissed Josh Tongue. The Oval crowd rose to their feet, giving him a rousing ovation.
India went on to win the match by six wickets, leveling the five-match series 2-2.
Woakes had dislocated his shoulder on the opening day and was not expected to play any further part. However, with England chasing 374 for victory and needing just 35 runs on the final day to seal the series 3-1, Woakes prepared himself to bat if required. On Sunday, he faced throwdowns in the indoor nets and changed into his whites, ready to step up if the team needed him. England were 339/6 at stumps that day.
Joe Root, who earlier in the day scored his 39th Test century to bring England close to the target, praised Woakes’ commitment: “He’s all-in, like the rest of us. It’s been that kind of series where players have had to put their bodies on the line. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but he’s had some throwdowns and he’s ready. He’s desperate to do whatever it takes.”
The full extent of Woakes’ injury is yet to be confirmed, but Root acknowledged the pain he was in. “He’s clearly in a lot of pain. But it just shows his character. Like we’ve seen with others in this series—Rishabh Pant batting with a broken foot, players taking blows—this means so much to him. He’s willing to push through for England. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but if it does, he’s ready to help win an incredible series,” Root added.
