CHRIS WOAKES has been ruled out of the Ashes after dislocating his left shoulder during the fifth Test between England and India.
This year’s Ashes will be held during the northern hemisphere winter in November in Australia.
Shutterstock EditorialChris Woakes has been ruled out of the Ashes after dislocating his left shoulder[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialWoakes dislocated his shoulder against India at The Oval[/caption]
At 36 years old, it would likely have been Woakes’ final Ashes series, with the iconic series held every two years.
Woakes hurt himself fielding against India and had to be helped off the field at The Oval, before being treated by England medics.
He went down after chasing a Karun Nair drive to the long-off boundary, flicking the ball away from the rope to stop the four, but jarring the joint as he broke his fall with his left hand.
According to The Mail, medics struggled to pop his shoulder back into place as they assessed the injury post play on the opening day.
The all-rounder had scans on Thursday evening that confirmed the injury to his left shoulder was serious, with surgery likely required.
It is estimated he will be sidelined for up to six months, ruling out his selection in the five-Test series in Australia, starting on November 21 in Perth.
An ECB statement said that Woakes: “His chances of one final swansong down under against the Australians are now scuppered, he will not return to the field until 2026.”
Ollie Pope, England’s captain for the fifth Test against India, has suffered a number of serious shoulder injuries, each of which kept him out for at least four months.
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England arrive in Australia in just three months, and Woakes’ recovery time is likely to be longer than Pope’s because he is also a bowler.
At four years from 40, Woakes may face an uphill battle to return to Test cricket when the injury heals.
He has endured a tricky series in tough conditions, averaging 52 with the ball and 11 with the bat.
And his selection in the England squad has been a long-standing debate, given his underwhelming record in overseas Tests.
Woakes has a poor record across two tours of Australia – it reads 16 wickets at 52.
But the Warwickshire star remained in contention to travel this winter as an experienced player in all formats.
Woakes’ absence against India leaves England with just THREE front-line bowlers for the rest of the fifth Test as they aim to avoid defeat and secure a 3-1 series victory.
GettyIt would likely have been Woakes’ final Ashes series, with the competition held every two years[/caption]
Against India over the last month, he had figures of 1-46 as India finished a rain-interrupted day one of the series decider on 204-6 after being put into bat.
Fans were left devastated after his injury, with one person taking to X to write: “That may well be the end of Chris Woakes’ Test career. It’ll be sad if that’s the way it finishes.”
While another said: “That looked horrible for Woakes. Would be such a cruel way for a great servant of English cricket to bow out.”
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