With the Ashes coming up in November, Chris Woakes is racing against the clock to make himself available for selection. The star all-rounder returned to Test cricket for the five-match series between India and England, which concluded earlier this month. Woakes dislocated his shoulder during the fifth and final Test match at The Oval while attempting to prevent a ball from crossing the boundary.
The 36-year-old couldn’t bowl any farther in the high-voltage contest, but he showed admirable bravery and drive on Day 5 of the Test match, walking out to bat at No. 11 with his left arm in a sling.
Following the Test match, Chris Woakes stated that he was considering whether to focus on rehabilitation or surgery.
However, he was recently spotted on the sidelines of The Hundred without a sling for assistance. The Birmingham native provided a favourable signal, implying that his injury is not as severe as initially thought. Woakes also revealed that he will not undergo surgery just yet, preferring to recover through rehabilitation.
“Certainly good news for me. That’s the best way to look at it. Obviously out of the sling and I feel like I can move it a lot better now, which is good two weeks down the line,” Woakes said while speaking to Sky Sports.
“I suppose once you get a little bit more movement into it, it feels a little bit more normal. But there’s still a lot of work to do. I’m going to try and stay focused on the rehab and get it as strong as possible. Ideally, I won’t need surgery for now, but we’ll see how that goes and hopefully we can get it nice and strong again,” he added.
Woakes finished with 11 wickets from five Tests in the series against India at an average of 52.18. While he wasn’t at his best, his experience will be crucial for England as they look to regain possession of the prestigious Ashes urn for the first time since 2018.
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