&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Thank God I didn’t face a 90mph bouncer…,’ Woakes opens up on batting with one hand in Oval Test")
England all-rounder Chris Woakes showed heart, grit and courage to come out and bat for his team with a dislocated shoulder in the recently concluded Oval Test against India, which the hosts narrowly lost by six runs. Walking out to bat with his one hand wrapped (inside his sweater), Woakes received massive applause from the Oval crowd for his heroics; however, how he was feeling inside was never known to anyone until now. In a recent chat with a UK-based publication, Woakes revealed he feared facing 90 mph bouncers from ace Indian quick Mohammed Siraj, responsible for England’s late collapse on the final day.
After Siraj helped India sit in the driver’s seat despite them defending 35 runs (on day five) and England having four wickets remaining at the start of the proceedings, he put England under pressure with two quick wickets. He first removed their only recognised batter, Jamie Smith, caught behind in his first over of the day, before accounting for their second-best batting option, Jamie Overton, trapped in front of the wickets sooner.
After Prasidh Krishna bowled Josh Tongue, leaving England with two options, either accept defeat with a wicket remaining or send out down and out Woakes to save their grace and push for a series win at home, the hosts chose the second option, sending injured Woakes out in the middle.
Fortunately for Woakes, he didn’t face a single delivery, with Gus Atkinson facing all; the English all-rounder, however, had his concerns while risking his career for England’s unlikely win.
“It was bittersweet in the end,” Woakes said in a chat with The Guardian. “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.
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“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,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Atkinson, who earlier smashed Siraj for a straight six, attempted another one in his following over, only for him to miss it and get clean bowled off a Yorker. That result, however, saw India come from behind and level the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy (2-2).
