Chris Woakes is expected to be ruled out of this winter’s Ashes tour and faces the possibility of surgery following the shoulder injury that has ruled him out of the remainder of the fifth Test against India.
The 36-year-old suffered a dislocated left shoulder when diving to cut off a boundary late on the opening day at the Oval, tumbling over the rope and damaging the joint in the process. Scans overnight will be followed by further assessment in the coming days but the outlook is not positive.
The fact the match is in progress means England have not officially confirmed the severity or exact nature of the injury but there is an expectation it will require an operation and a recovery period that runs into months. England land in Perth on 9 November.
With Woakes having historically struggled for impact overseas in his career and averaged 52 with the ball in this run-heavy series against India, there has been uncertainty as to whether he would be selected for the winter. But England had been considering him a likely traveller due to his depth of experience in an otherwise raw group of seam bowlers.
There has also been a recent trend of more bowler-friendly surfaces in Australia which, along with a pink-ball Test in Brisbane, made him an option to be deployed tactically.
In the short term the injury is understood to have devastated an England dressing room without captain Ben Stokes for the series decider with a shoulder issue. A two-time World Cup winner and Ashes player of the series in 2023, Woakes is among the most respected and popular members of the group – a wise head and a solid pro.
Though a freak injury in one respect, it was in keeping with England’s mantra of chasing down every run. Woakes is not the first to get injured mid-Test this way since Brendon McCullum introduced it as a non-negotiable in 2022, with Jack Leach doing the same at Lord’s that summer. In the case of Leach it was concussion, which allowed for a substitute.
One question is whether fatigue and heavy legs played a role in the incident. Woakes is the only member of England’s attack to play all five Tests in this series – likewise Mohammed Siraj for India – and bat dominated ball in the first four. A tally of 181 overs is his highest workload in a series.
With Woakes among the England players whose central contract expires in October, and having specialised in red-ball cricket in recent years, there will inevitably be fears that a significant international career may be over.
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Much rests on the next few weeks and the establishment of a recovery plan.
As regards Australia, the injury may open up a spot for Sam Cook, having been considered Woakes’ new-ball understudy this season.
Ollie Robinson’s record should in theory make him a contender here but the Sussex right-armer has not played for England since the 2024 tour of India when the management’s patience with his work ethic ran out.
