England’s seasoned pacer Chris Woakes has revealed that he batted with a shoulder sling on Day 5 of the recent fifth Test against India at The Oval, fearing his shoulder might have dislocated while running. Woakes had suffered a shoulder injury while fielding on the opening day and did not take part in the match thereafter.
However, he returned to bat amid loud applause when England needed just 17 runs to pull off a historic chase at the venue. Despite his injury, Woakes padded up, but his batting partner Gus Atkinson ensured he didn’t face any deliveries. Eventually, Atkinson was bowled, handing India the win.
In an interview with The Guardian, the 36-year-old shared that he was in significant pain, having only taken codeine to ease the discomfort.
“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. 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.”
After India’s six-run win, Chris Woakes revealed that Shubman Gill praised his courage to come out and bat.
“Shubman said something like: ‘That was incredibly brave’. I told him: ‘You’ve had an unbelievable series, well played, and credit to your team.’ Both sets of players had been through the mill in the series and deserve credit for the show we put on. Both teams wanted the win, of course, but it does kind of feel fair that it was drawn.”
Woakes Defends Playing On With One Wicket Left
Chris Woakes, who picked up just 11 wickets in the series, shared his disappointment at missing out on a fairytale finish to the Test and said he was always determined to go out and bat. The veteran further added:
“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. 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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