INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND, 2025
Chris Woakes hurt his left shoulder after landing awkwardly on a dive he put in on Day 1 at the Oval © Getty
Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the remainder of the fifth Test against India at the Oval after sustaining an injury on his left shoulder on the opening day of the match.
“At this stage, the injury has ruled him out of any further participation in the Test,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement on Friday ahead of the second day’s play.
Woakes suffered the injury while fielding in the 57th over of India’s first innings. He chased after the ball from mid-off and put in a dive to pull the ball back just inside the ropes. But he landed awkwardly and was seen holding his left shoulder in distress right away.
England, who are already mssing the services of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in this fixture, will now have just three pace bowling options at their disposal – Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton. Intriguingly, only three days ago, Stokes vehemently opposed the idea of injury substitutes in Test cricket, even if it left a team short in a game.
Woakes, who has featured in all five Tests, has been a workhorse for England all series. He bowled 181 overs – more than anyone else across the two teams – and picked 11 wickets.
© Cricbuzz
