I ‘never considered' not attempting to bat with my arm in a sling

Yahoo

5 days ago

Chris Woakes admitted he 'never considered' not attempting to bat with one arm in a sling as England sought victory in the fifth Test against India.
England required 17 runs for victory at the Oval when the 36-year-old stepped out at number 11 to partner Gus Atkinson, suffering from a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in trying to prevent a boundary on day one.
He was not made to face a ball but was required to run four times before Atkinson was bowled by Mohammed Siraj as India edged a dramatic finale by six runs to level the series at 2-2.
'I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't try,' Woakes told The Guardian. '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.
'But any other player would have done the same. You couldn't just call it off at nine wickets down.'
Woakes had initially found his usual right-hand stance too painful following the injury when practising in nets, instead opting to attempt to bat left-handed, putting his healthy right arm at the top of the handle.
'I defended one normally (right-handed) and it was agony,' he said. 'We soon worked out that a left-hander's stance would shield the shoulder and at least allow me to sort of block with my top hand in control. I hit a few, missed a few, but it felt like the only way to survive.'
Coach Brendon McCullum had initially ruled him out of the remainder of the match ahead of day two, but by the fourth day and with England requiring 374 to win, Woakes was photographed wearing his whites ready to bat.
He emerged to a standing ovation after Josh Tongue was bowled with England 17 adrift, despite some security staff appearing to believe the match was over.
'You just know you're part of something bigger,' he said. '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.
'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.'