Walking wounded - Chris Woakes, Malcolm Marshall and others who became heroes after batting despite injuries

The National

2 days ago

The image of Chris Woakes, the one-armed man who battled through the agony of a dislocated shoulder to try to win a game for England, was a compelling one.
As he stepped out of the dressing to a roar of admiration at The Oval on Monday morning, with his left arm in a sling and stuffed under his sleeveless England jumper, it is possible he was making his last act as a Test cricketer.
It is debatable whether his brand of swing and seam - so well suited to UK conditions, but less so abroad - would have been fancied for this winter's Ashes tour to Australia anyway. That was before all the recuperation he will now be bound for between now and the series starting.
Woakes will turn 37 in March. By then, he might find England's Bazballers have moved on without him.
If it was the last time he is to be spotted in whites by the broader cricket public, then he has definitely signed off as a hero.
Such acts of heroism tend to live long in the memories of cricket fans. Here are some of the most unforgettable acts of players defying pain from the sport's past.
Colin Cowdrey (England v West Indies, 1963)
Like Woakes, the England captain came out to bat in the dying moments of a Test against one of the most feared bowling attacks in the sport of the time – and did not face a ball.
England needed six to win with three balls left of a thrilling Lord's Test against West Indies, when a run out brought their captain back out to the wicket.
He had had his left arm broken earlier in the innings. He smiled as he emerged from the pavilion, his left arm in plaster, and watched from the non-striker's end as David Allen blocked the final two deliveries from Wes Hall to bring about a draw.
Rick McCosker (Australia v England, 1977)
At the Centenary Test in Melbourne, Rick McCosker had his face smashed by a bouncer on the first morning.
He spent a day and a half in hospital, having his jaw rewired. Then, with his helmetless face wrapped in bandages, he came out to bat in Australia's second innings and shared in a 50-partnership with Rod Marsh.
Australia eventually won the game by 45 runs, and McCosker later reflected that he was just doing his job. Although his bandaged face did send his two young kids running away scared of him.
Malcolm Marshall (West Indies v England, 1984)
Fielding in the gulley in a Test at Headingley, fast bowler Malcolm Marshall sustained a double fracture to his left thumb.
Not even that could stop him – and his irresistible West Indies side – from continuing to steamroller England.
With his left wrist in plaster, he came out to bat with a smile on his face. He hit a one-handed four, and also took seven wickets.
Salim Malik (Pakistan v West Indies, 1986)
This is a paradox: Salim Malik is known to most as a player who was banned for life from cricket for match-fixing.
And yet he was once selfless enough to go out to bat one handed, against the fastest attack in the world (one of which, coincidentally, was Marshall), with a broken arm, in order to help a young teammate to a milestone.
He did so in the Faisalabad Test of 1986 for Pakistan against the West Indies, batting left-handed for long enough to see Wasim Akram make his maiden Test half-century.
Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 2018)
The Dubai International Stadium might only be a little over 16 years old, but it has already built up a hefty body of work.
There have been a few acts of heroism already in that time, but none more memorable than Tamim Iqbal at the 2018 Asia Cup.
Opening the batting for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka, he was struck a brutal blow on the hand. He was rushed to hospital in Dubai where the break to his left index finger was confirmed, and he was ruled out of the tournament.
Except he returned two hours later to help his side eke out a few extra runs at the end of their innings, wearing a quickly modified glove with all four fingers – barring the thumb – popping out of the padding.
Rishabh Pant (India v England, 2025)
Fans do not have to consult the history books to recall another vivid act of heroism. This has been a summer chock-full of them.
Rishabh Pant started it, when he hobbled out to bat at Old Trafford despite having broken his foot earlier in the innings, and made a half century.
To be fair, a broken foot is a minor ailment for someone who has battled back from nearly losing their life in a car crash to return to the top of cricket.
Where he led, Ben Stokes followed, first retiring hurt only to return in the same innings and make a hundred at Old Trafford, before Woakes applied the coup de grace on Monday.