‘I wouldn't have been able to live with myself’ - Chris Woakes on decision to bat for England with one arm despite shoulder injury
Published 07/08/2025 at 09:06 GMT+1
Chris Woakes made headlines the world over on Monday when he came out as 11th man for England to try and win the fifth Test against India, despite having one arm strapped after dislocating his shoulder. Although he did not face a ball, the bowler's bravery has been applauded by many in the game, but Woakes "never considered not going out there" as England came close to a remarkable victory.
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England's Test series against India finished as a 2-2 draw, with the home side unable to pull off a miraculous run chase in the final match at The Oval.
But the game will be remembered for one man's bravery, with bowler Chris Woakes coming out to bat one-handed on the final morning, with his other arm heavily strapped and tucked under his jumper after dislocating his shoulder on the opening day of the Test.
Woakes had dived for a ball on the boundary when he injured himself, and did not bat in England's first innings.
That the home side had come so close to victory despite being a bowler down was miraculous in itself, but when the ninth wicket fell on Monday, the crowd rose as Woakes came down the steps to head to the middle.
"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn’t try," the 36-year-old told The Guardian.
"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 team-mates, 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."
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England batsman Chris Woakes with his arm in a sling, completes a run
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Woakes had initially offered to bat in the first innings, but had been told no by coach Brandon McCullum.
But with 17 runs required when Josh Tongue got out, there seemed an outside chance of somehow, England pulling off the "fairytale" finish, especially when Gus Atkinson started to chip away at that total.
Atkinson also managed to farm the strike to prevent Woakes facing a ball - but that meant the injured bowler had to run between the wickets with all that entailed.
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"The first [run] 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.
"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 or whatever.
"It was nice to have the ovation and some of the Indian players came over to show their respect. But any other player would have done the same. You couldn't just call it off at nine wickets down."
In the end, England lost by six runs when Atkinson was bowled, trying to heave one to the boundary. It left Woakes stranded on 0, having faced zero balls.
"It was bittersweet in the end," Woakes added. "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.' And I knew I was going to have to wear a few bouncers if I did get on strike. Those were the anxious feelings, really. You're still pretty exposed out there."
Woakes has yet to announce the results of any further scans, and what they might mean for his career. At 36-years-old, with a tough Ashes coming up in the winter - broadcast live and exclusively on TNT Sports - it remains to be seen how long he might be out for, and whether we will see him play for England again.
"It's not the way you want to be front-page news - you'd sooner it was for five wickets or a century. There have been a lot of ups and downs since, but yeah, the love from the public has helped.
"It is so weird to go from the start of a Test week, thinking ‘one last push’, to ending up on a physio's table wondering what the future holds."
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