Chris Woakes grimaces in pain as he leaves the field.
Credit: Reuters Photo
London: The worst fears came true for England as their lead pacer Chris Woakes was ruled out of "any further participation” from the fifth and final Test after hurting his left shoulder while fielding on the opening day.
Woakes hurt his shoulder while diving to stop a Karun Nair cover drive from going to the boundary in the 57th over. The 36-year-old fell awkwardly before crashing himself onto the advertisement hoardings. He instantly clutched his left shoulder and was wincing in pain before being helped off the field.
“England seamer Chris Woakes will continue to be monitored throughout the remainder of the Rothesay Fifth Test at The Kia Oval, following a left shoulder injury sustained on day one of the match against India. At this stage, the injury has ruled him out of any further participation in the Test. A further assessment will be conducted at the conclusion of the series,” said a statement from the ECB.
The experienced Woakes’ unavailability is a massive blow for England already missing several key personnel for this game.
Skipper Ben Stokes, the leading wicket taker of the series with 17 scalps, was ruled out due to right shoulder injury while gun fast bowler Jofra Archer and Bryson Carse were rested as part of workload management.
Woakes bagged 1/46 on the opening day to take his series tally to 11 wickets.