NEW DELHI: In a finale befitting a blockbuster series, England all-rounder Chris Woakes delivered one of the most courageous moments of the summer — walking out to bat with a dislocated shoulder during a tense chase against India in the fifth and final Test at The Oval.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!With England needing 17 runs and just one wicket remaining, Woakes, officially ruled out of the match on Day 1 due to injury, strode to the crease to a standing ovation. His left arm was strapped tightly in a sling under his sweater. Despite the intense pain — and even more intense pressure — Woakes was ready to face the fury of India’s fast bowlers.
“The first one was the worst,” Woakes told The Guardian. “All I had taken was codeine and it was just so sore. Instinct took over – 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.”
He did not face a single delivery. But just being there mattered. “It was bittersweet in the end. 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,” he said. “But the other side of it was: ‘Thank God I didn’t face a 90mph bouncer, one-handed, facing the wrong way around.’”
Woakes added 10 valuable runs with Gus Atkinson before Mohammed Siraj ended England’s hopes with a sizzling yorker to dismiss the latter.
Despite the heartbreak, Woakes never considered staying back. “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.”
India clinched the Test by six runs, squaring the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2. Woakes didn’t face a ball — but earned the respect of fans and players on both sides.
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