Woakes walked out to a standing ovation when England needed 17 runs at The Oval.
England all-rounder Chris Woakes displayed immense courage by walking out with a dislocated shoulder during a tense chase against India in the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval.
Despite being officially ruled out, Woakes strode to the crease to a standing ovation when England needed 17 runs with one wicket remaining in the chase of 374. Though he didn't face a ball, his brave act was awe-inspiring to say the least.
Speaking to The Guardian, Woakes said he was curious to see how he would bat with one hand but was also pleased that he didn't face 90 mph bouncers from Indian pacers.
“The first one was the worst. 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,” Woakes stated.
He added, “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. But the other side of it was: ‘Thank God I didn’t face a 90mph bouncer, one-handed, facing the wrong way around.’”
Woakes shared a 10-run partnership with Gus Atkinson before Mohammed Siraj shattered England’s hopes with a sizzling yorker to dismiss the latter.
“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,” Woakes remarked.
India won the Oval Test by six runs and returned home with a 2-2 scoreline. Woakes may not have faced a ball, but earned the respect of fans and players on both sides.