Injured Chris Woakes feared facing Mohammed Siraj on Day 5 of The Oval Test
To decide whether to bat with a dislocated shoulder or not was not a tricky decision for Chris Woakes. At the announcement of the England Playing XI for The Oval Test, Woakes emerged as the only English player to play all five Tests in the series. Ben Stokes had been ruled out due to a shoulder injury, as Woakes headlined the attack in the final India vs England Test. However, when the pacer landed badly on his left shoulder in an attempt to save a boundary, it seemed like Woakes' participation was done for on the opening day itself. But Woakes showed up for one final fight. Amid the brave act he put up on the final day of The Oval Test, Woakes has now revealed being scared at the thought of Mohammed Siraj bowling bouncers at him.
The India vs England Test series is fated to go down in the history books. From the match-winning spell of Mohammed Siraj to the fightback of Joe Root and Harry Brook, the final Test was especially thrilling. Over a month-long action in the five-match series demanded the teams to put it all on the line. Every match in the series went right down to Day 5. Meanwhile, it was not just the opponent that a player or his team had to battle. Both India and England were tested with body blows in the hectic series. The complications, however, scripted some heroic turn-ups.
Rishabh Pant fractured his right foot while batting in the first innings of the Manchester Test, the fourth India vs England fixture. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman returned to the crease with his broken foot to complete his knock and keep his team in the contest. The same situation arose for England in the final Test as Chris Woakes dislocated his left shoulder while fielding on the opening day at The Oval. As the match went to the final day, Woakes padded up to bat with his left arm in a sling.
Chris Woakes opens up about being skeptic of facing Mohammed Siraj with his injured shoulder
If it were up to Chris Woakes, he would have come out to bat in the first innings itself. However, the English coach Brendon McCullum quashed Woakes' request, pushing the decision to later if The Oval Test still demanded an injured warrior to throw his body on the line. As anticipated, the final India vs England Test put up the challenge for England and Woakes. In the final chase, the equation dropped to the hosts needing 35 runs on Day 5 and India on the lookout for the final wickets when the visitors got to know that Woakes was ready to fight and they would need to scalp four wickets in order to win.
Chris Woakes had to come out on the final day after Mohammed Siraj sent back Jamie Smith, and Jamie Overton, and Prasidh Krishna removed Josh Tongue. Meanwhile, the equation came down to England requiring 17 runs with one wicket in hand as Woakes came out to partner Gus Atkinson. The Oval stood up in respect of Woakes, who walked out with his dislocated shoulder hidden under his sweater. Though the match stood at a knife's edge, Woakes' spirit compelled the fraternity and fans to unite and laud the Englishman.
However, hidden under his fighting spirit was the fear of 'exposing' his injured shoulder to Mohammed Siraj. Opening up on the final India vs England Test, Woakes revealed that he was thankful that he did not have to face the Indian pacers. Atkinson took the onus, trying for big shots and changing the strike at the end of the overs to keep Woakes at the other end.
Despite clearly struggling, Chris Woakes pushed through the pain, squeezing out a couple of singles at the end of separate overs to rotate the strike back to Gus Atkinson. He even managed to sneak in a double during the tense passage of play. Every time he broke into a quick run, the strain was written all over his face, a grimace that spoke louder than words. Still, he pressed on, determined to keep England’s hopes flickering.
His brief but gritty stand with Atkinson added 10 crucial runs, just enough to stir belief in a potential series-clinching win. But that sliver of optimism was short-lived. Mohammed Siraj, once again, brought the hammer down, delivering a searing yorker that thundered into Atkinson’s off stump and ended England’s resistance. After England fumbled narrowly, Woakes thought of the ways it could have ended differently had he tried to add to the cricket score with just one working hand. However, in a contrasting thought, the English pacer was thankful that he was not parked on the end where he would have been left exposed against the bouncers.
“It was bittersweet in the end,” Woakes said. “Part of me wondered what it might be like, to see if I could have defended the ball, seen out an over maybe, squeezed a run or carved a four. But the other side of it was: ‘Thank God I didn’t face a 90mph bouncer, one-handed, facing the wrong way around.’ And I knew I was going to have to wear a few bouncers if I did get on strike. Those were the anxious feelings, really. You’re still pretty exposed out there," he added.
