A brave Chris Woakes took to the field with his left arm in a sling as England fell to a agonising six-run defeat by India, with Shubman Gill’s side drawing the series 2-2 on Monday.
Woakes, who dislocated his shoulder while fielding during the fifth Test match between England and India on Thursday, had been ruled out of the remainder of the match and the upcoming Ashes tour to Australia.
But in a remarkable turn of events, India’s bowlers ramped up the stakes on Monday, dismissing all of Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue, leaving England needing 17 runs to win with nine wickets gone.
The England pace bowler had arrived at The Oval with his arm in a sling on Monday, and hopes had been high that his side could get the job done without needing to send him in.
However, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna baying for blood, things took a dramatic turn, with Woakes walking down from the dressing room, supporting his injured arm in a sling to support fellow bowler Gus Atkinson out in the middle.
His efforts were in vein, though, with Siraj sending a full delivery on to the base of Atkinson’s leg stump to deny England what would have been one of the most dramatic series victories.
England had tried to keep Atkinson on strike, with Woakes heroically running back and forth, grimacing in pain as he gave everything to keep his side in the match.
A brave Chris Woakes took to the field with his left arm in a sling as England fell to a dramatic six-run defeat by India
Woakes winced in pain and clutched at his dislocated shoulder as he gallantly ran between the wickets to keep his side’s hopes of a series victory alive
Woakes dislocated his shoulder while fielding during the fifth Test match between England and India on Thursday, had been ruled out of the remainder of the match and the upcoming Ashes tour to Australia
The crowd inside The Oval recognised the bowler’s gallant efforts, all standing on their feet, applauding the Warwickshire man.
Perhaps fitting of the drama that has encompassed this Test series, Woakes and Atkinson continued to chip away at the score, with Atkinson putting more pressure on the Indian bowlers, hitting a six over to cow-corner, before clipping two runs and a single as he looked to keep his team-mate off strike.
But the victory was not to be for Ben Stokes’ side, with Siraj claiming his ninth wicket of the match, before running off and performing Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous ‘Siu’ celebration.
India rejoiced. Shubman Gill’s side ran to celebrate with their pace bowler, as Atkinson and Woakes cut dejected figures in the middle of the Oval.
However, some, including Sky Sports analyst and former England fast bowler Stuart Broad were shocked by the scenes, expressing his concerns for Woakes’ wellbeing.
‘Don’t know how I feel about any of this right now. How is Chris Woakes feeling?!’ Broad wrote on X.
He then backed his former team-mate Woakes to hit the winning runs, befitting of some of the bizarre events that have happened in this series.
‘Test cricket hey. This series has been superb and what a finish. Woakesy to hit the winning runs left-handed? Nothing is out of the question! Siraj heroic. Doing plenty!’
Woakes had hurt his shoulder while chasing a Karun Nair drive on Thursday and was immediately pulled from the field. Upon medical examinations, it is expected that he could be set to be ruled out for the next six months.
England’s doctors confirmed that the Wawrickshire star is expected to miss at least six months due to the injury
Fans inside the Oval gave the Warwickshire pace bowler a huge round of applause as he made his way down the steps towards the field to replace Josh Tongue
Woakes’ (pictured) efforts were in vein, as Mohammed Siraj’s full delivery toppled the leg stump of Gus Atkinson’s wicket to seal a dramatic last-gasp win for India
‘Don’t know how I feel about any of this right now. How is Chris Woakes feeling?!’ ex-England bowler Stuart Broad wrote on X
England began the day needing 35 runs to win at the start of the day, but the brilliance of Mohammed Siraj (front) stopped the hosts to seal a nervy six-run win
Siraj, the Player of the Match, dismissed Gus Atkinson (pictured) with a full delivery on his leg stump, to seal the victory and draw the series 2-2
Celebrations ensued as the tourists swarmed around their star bowler, Siraj, following the victory
More to follow…