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"Wouldn't Have Lived...": Chris Woakes Opens Up On Batting With Dislocated Shoulder

Soumyajit Dutta

Chris Woakes [Source: AFP Photos]Chris Woakes [Source: AFP Photos]

England all-rounder Chris Woakes has become the talk of the cricketing world after his courageous one-armed batting display in the fifth Test against India. The 36-year-old, nursing a dislocated shoulder, walked out to bat on the final day at The Oval in a desperate bid to secure victory, only for England to fall six runs short. 

After a few days of his injury, Chris Woakes opened up on the experience he went through bearing the pain during the injury and how he survived it to come out to bat on the final day.

Woakes Admits Doing It For The Country

Reflecting on his decision to bat through the injury, Woakes said, "I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t try."  

"You just know you’re part of something bigger. It’s not just you that you’re playing for out there. It’s your team and your teammates, all the hard work and the sacrifices they put in, the people watching at home and in the ground. You just feel a duty to do it for everyone," Woakes said as quoted by The Guardian.

Woakes further detailed how horrifying it was to run with the injured shoulder when he ran his first single.

“The first one was the worst. All I had taken was codeine and it was just so sore. Instinct took over here – 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 added.

Woakes Shares Horrifying Experience With Shoulder

Speaking on the eve of his dislocated shoulder, Woakes elaborated on the horrifying experience while thanking England's medical team for curing it. “It is a horrible feeling, your shoulder not where it should be and worrying it might never get back in. It felt like three hours but the medical staff were amazing," Woakes said.

Speaking of the final moments of the match as Gus Atkinson was uprooted by Siraj's fiery spell, Woakes admitted that the moment was 'bittersweet'.

"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," said Woakes.

Woakes Reveals Pant's Special Message

Notably, Rishabh Pant, whose foot Woakes had fractured earlier in the series, sent him a supportive voice note wishing him a speedy recovery.

“I saw Rishabh [Pant] had put an image of me on Instagram with a salute emoji, so I replied thanking him: ‘Appreciate the love and hope the foot is OK,’ etc. He then sent me a voice note saying: ‘I hope all is OK, good luck with the recovery and I hope we meet again out there some day.’ I obviously said sorry for the broken foot,” Woakes confessed.

As England awaits medical updates, Woakes remains philosophical about his future. "It’s weird to go from thinking 'one last push' to wondering what comes next," he said. 

The injury has cast doubt over his participation in the Ashes, with scans set to determine the severity of the damage. Whether or not he features in the Ashes, his selfless act at The Oval has already cemented his place in cricketing folklore.