“I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t try,” he admitted.
“You just know you’re part of something bigger. 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.”
While Atkinson attempted to protect Woakes from the strike, he was still required to run. On the first occasion, a bye through to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, Woakes was instantly in clear discomfort.
“The first one was the worst,” he said. “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, hence you saw me throw my helmet off, rip the glove off with my teeth, and check it was OK.”
Woakes ran three more runs during his 16-minute stay at the crease. Despite his bravery, England missed out on a 3-1 series triumph and instead had to settle for a share of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
“It was bitter-sweet in the end,” he added. “Part of me wondered what it might be like, to see if I could have defended the ball, seen out an over maybe, squeezed a run or carved a four.
“But the other side of it was, ‘Thank God I didn’t face a 90mph bouncer, one-handed, facing the wrong way around’.
“And I knew I was going to have to wear a few bouncers if I did get on strike. Those were the anxious feelings, really. You’re still pretty exposed out there.”
Woakes is now waiting to discover the full extent of the injury, with his participation in this winter’s Ashes series in severe doubt.
His actions have been praised across the sporting world and he said “the love from the public has helped”.
“It’s not the way you want to be front-page news – you’d sooner it was for five wickets or a century,” added Woakes.
“It is so weird to go from the start of a Test week, thinking ‘one last push’, to ending up on a physio’s table wondering what the future holds.”
