Chris Woakes ended day one of the fifth Test against India at The Oval with a suspected dislocated shoulder, in a blow to England’s hopes of a series victory.
Woakes was chasing a ball racing away towards the boundary when he dived to keep it in play. And although he managed to scoop it away from the rope, he tumbled on to his shoulder before yelling out in pain.
The bowler was attended to by physios before being led off the field of play, with only a few minutes left before stumps on a rain-affected opening day.
A scan was being arranged to determine the extent of the damage with further updates expected on Friday morning.
“It doesn’t look great,” said Woakes’ teammate Gus Atkinson. “I will be surprised if he takes any part in the game. It’s a big shame when anyone gets injured. I’m hoping it’s not too bad but whatever it is he’ll get the full support from everyone.”
India finished the first day on 204-6, having fought back late in the piece thanks to Karun Nair’s 50 not out.
If Woakes is ruled out it would leave the hosts with a sizeable hole to fill when they resume on Friday, particularly given some erratic bowling displays from Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton.
Atkinson, easily the pick of the bowlers with two for 31 in 19 overs as well as the key run out of Shubman Gill, said: “It doesn’t look great. I will be surprised if he takes any part in the game. It’s a big shame when anyone gets injured. I’m hoping it’s not too bad but whatever it is he’ll get the full support from everyone.”
Should Woakes be ruled out, as looks increasingly likely, Atkinson will find himself as the most senior member of the attack in just his 13th appearance. He is only just back from a niggling hamstring problem that dates back to May’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe but stands ready to take a greater burden as England attempt to turn their 2-1 lead into a 3-1 series win.
“I feel fresh, I feel good and I know I’ve only got this one game to play so I can push the limits a bit,” he said. “It was disappointing to miss the first four games of the series, I’ve never really had a muscle injury like that before, but to come back for this important game at my home ground is nice.
“I felt like I bowled well and challenged the batters at times.”
The same was not true of Overton, whose 16 wicketless overs for 66 were a fair reflection of a poor return to the Test arena after three years away.
Tongue had a mixed day, serving up some chaotic spells that included 12 runs in wides but also conjuring a pair of magical deliveries to dismiss Sai Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja.
“It can be a tough ground to bowl on at times because of the way the ball moves, sometimes it’s off the pitch and sometimes it can swing a lot after it’s pitched,” said a sympathetic Atkinson. “The footholds weren’t easy at times, it was quite slippy out there and that can affect the radar when bowling but he got some very important wickets for us which was great.”
additional reporting by PA
