If needed, injured Woakes ready to bat for England today, says Root
Woakes injured his shoulder while fielding during the first day of the Test. While later England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued a statement about him not taking any further part in the Test match. But he practiced batting one-handed in an indoor school on Sunday and changed to his whites during the evening session, preparing himself to bat at number 11 if needed.
England need 35 runs, while India needs four wickets to win and level the five-Test series.
Speaking ahead of the series' final day during the post-day presser, Root said, "He's all-in, like the rest of us. It has been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it does not get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here [the indoor school] at one point, and he is ready if needed... He is desperate to do what it takes."
England have not confirmed the specifics of Woakes injury and he could go for further scans after the match for a full-fledged diagnosis. He is considered unlikely to play for the rest of the Test summer and looks in doubt for the Ashes first Test at Perth from November 21, and potentially the rest of that series, given his poor record in Australia.
Speaking further on Woakes' commitment to bat, he said, "Clearly, he is in a huge amount of pain having done what he has done. It just shows, as we have seen from other guys in this series - Rishabh Pant batting with a broken foot, guys taking all sorts of blows here and there - but it means a huge amount to him.
"It just shows the character and the person that he is willing to put his body on the line like that for England, and hopefully - well, hopefully he does not have to, but if it does come to that - get us across the line and win us an incredible series," he added.
Speaking on the Test getting its finish delayed to the final day, Root said that it has "pros and cons" for both teams.
"The guys (Indians) had bowled a lot, there were overs in their legs. You get back out there and you get a couple of boundaries away, and all of a sudden the game looks very different again. But then again, you come back tomorrow, you get another roller, you can rest up, and it is a completely new opportunity. I think for both teams there are pros and cons, it is just how it has fallen," he said.
"But there is not really much you can do as a player, really. You just sit and wait and do what you're told. From our point of view, come back and we have an amazing spectacle to look forward to."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Cricket Council
19 minutes ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Stokes hails gripping 2-2 series draw as a Test classic ICC World Test Championship
England skipper Ben Stokes described the recently concluded five-Test series against India as a showcase for everything that makes Test cricket great, calling it a tough contest between two teams who left everything on the field in their ICC World Test Championship tussle. Speaking at the post-match press conference following India's series-levelling win at The Oval, Stokes was full of praise for the commitment and effort from both teams, despite the 2-2 series scoreline. "I think the series as a whole, even before this game, it was just all four games going to five days, this one again, and it's been toe-to-toe for 25 days, two very good teams who have thrown everything at each other, left nothing out there, so I guess from a cricket fan's point of view, 2-2 is probably fair, obviously we're disappointed now to have not got the result that we wanted to give us a series win, so there's obviously that disappointment, a little bit of frustration there as well from everyone. 'I think as a massive advocate of this format and Test cricket as a whole, this has certainly been one of those series that can hopefully change that narrative around Test cricket as dying. 'Disappointed from obviously a playing point of view, but as an advocate of the game, the series has been fantastic to be part of." England and India exchanged control throughout the series, with neither side managing to win back-to-back Tests, and Stokes reflected on the ebb and flow of the contest. "India have been in control, we've been in control, then it's gone back to them, then it's gone back to us. 'To be a part of it and be able to experience five games like this has been pretty special. We had a similar situation here in 23 with the Ashes, where we had to come here and win the game, and that again was another special series to be a part of." "That was 2-2, this was 2-2, so it's been awesome to be a part of. Obviously there is still a lot of disappointment, but for the game, for the wider game, obviously we want to constantly be promoting the game. This series has been great for that." With both teams showcasing dominant performances at various stages, England struck first with a win in Leeds. India responded strongly with a victory at Edgbaston, only for England to reclaim the lead at Lord's. India fought back with a gritty draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, then delivered a dominant performance in the series finale at The Oval to level things once again. Stokes also touched on what the England team would take away from the series - particularly in terms of character shown under pressure. "I think we were in a nice, strong place coming into the series. "I think from a team point of view, and certainly as an individual point of view, some guys will leave the series found out a lot more about themselves, in particular this game with Chris Woakes going down early on, it was that unfortunate shoulder injury then. "The responsibility that fell on Gus, Tongue and Jamie's shoulders, not only that but obviously the roles completely changed by then as to why they were selected and the impact that we thought they would have on the game. They had to dig deep, in particular in our second innings of bowling." "I think there's a couple of guys who have left this series when they've been given the opportunities that they've found out a lot more about themselves in a very, very positive way." He also singled out Chris Woakes for pushing through pain to play his part in the final innings, likening his effort to courageous displays on both sides across the series, including Rishabh Pant coming out to bat with a broken ankle in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Woakes came out to bat as the last batter with his injured arm tucked inside his sweater when England needed 20 runs, but managed to stay away from the strike with Gus Atkinson taking strike throughout. "It was never going to be a question, I think, for him to go out there. Obviously he's in a lot of discomfort even running between the wickets there. 'But we've had guys go out, you know, Rishabh [Pant] going out on bat with a broken foot, we've had Bash [Shoaib Bashir] going out there bowling and batting and fielding with a broken finger." "Then we've had Chris go out there today and try and get his team over the line with a quite recently dislocated shoulder. 'Again, that just goes back to how much energy and effort has been put into the series by both teams. Everyone's left a lot out on the grounds for the country this series, definitely." Finally, Stokes reserved special praise for India's pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj, who was a constant presence throughout the series. Siraj was the destroyer in chief for India, unleashing it all on England in the final Test, amassing nine crucial wickets, with his terrific fifer in the fourth innings bowling India to a six-run victory. The 31-year-old pacer concluded the series with the most wickets - 23 - and finishing as the only pacer who played across all five Tests. "I've always had great respect and admiration for Mohamed Siraj as a competitor. He just keeps coming and coming and coming. You know that he's always going to be in the fight with you." "Again, just another example of what it means. This game in particular just kept going and going and going. Oppositions and all that kind of stuff." "I've always had a lot of admiration and respect for the way Mohammed Siraj goes about his cricket, what he does and how he takes it on. So, yeah, fair play to him." England's next red-ball assignment comes up in the form of an away Ashes tour against Australia, beginning November 21 in Perth, while India square off against the West Indies in a two-Test series at home in October. ICC World Test Championship, 2025/27ICC World Test ChampionshipNews
Int'l Cricket Council
3 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Tributes flow following India's thrilling triumph at The Oval ICC World Test Championship
The cricketing world was captivated by the thrilling finale to the fifth and final Test between England and India at The Oval and the plaudits came in quickly for the two sides after Mohammed Siraj captured the wicket of Gus Atkinson to leave the five-match series tied at 2-2. A host of Indian greats - both former players and current day stars - shared their thoughts on the victory as the visitors pulled off a huge performance on the final day at The Oval to ensure the spoils were shared.
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Oval Test: Five-star Mohammad Siraj hands India six-run win over England to level series
Fast bowler Mohammad Siraj emerged as the hero on a dramatic final day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as India edged past England by just six runs at The Oval to level the Test series 2-2. England needed 35 runs at the start of the 25th and final day of the series with four wickets in hand. But Siraj (5-104) and Prasidh Krishna (4-126) gave nothing away and bowled an unbroken spell to secure a famous win. Chasing 374, the onus was on wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith to take his team home, especially since seamer Chris Woakes had injured his shoulder and could only use one hand if required to bat. But Smith was the first to depart, edging Siraj behind in the second over of the morning. Both Indian seamers had the ball moving at high pace and it was only a matter of time before the tail-enders lost their wickets. When Jamie Overton was trapped lbw for nine, England were 354-8 and 20 runs away. Krishna castled Josh Tongue with a pacey delivery two overs later to force Woakes to come out to bat. The England seamer had his left-arm in a sling and tucked inside a sweater. Thereafter, pacer Gus Atkinson tried to farm the strike even at the danger of losing his wicket. He belted one six off Siraj as the equation came down to single digits. However, Siraj had the final say as he landed a yorker at the base of Atkinson's off stump to seal victory that not only handed Shubman Gill a famous 2-2 result in his first series as captain, but also gave India crucial World Test Championship points. The match looked set for a thrilling finish on Sunday itself as India struck late in the evening to reduce to England 339-6 after the match looked done and dusted after sensational centuries from Harry Brook and Joe Root. Brook and Root shared a superb fourth-wicket stand of 195 to put England on the brink of completing a record run chase and a 3-1 series win. However, England handed the visitors a lifeline when the target was just 73 runs away. Brook played a wild stroke and skied a catch to depart for 111. That gave India an opening. Jacob Bethell also fell to a rash shot for five and Root, having completed a masterful 39th Test century, nicked to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel off Krishna. There was more than hour left in play on Sunday when rain forced an early stumps. England will rue the six dropped catches in India's second innings that allowed the tourists to set a record target of 374 at the London venue.
