In a gritty twist to the final day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, injured England all-rounder Chris Woakes has made himself available to bat if required, despite a painful shoulder injury that had initially ruled him out of the remainder of the match.Woakes, who suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder while fielding on Day 1, is willing to step in at No.11 if England need him to chase the remaining 35 runs and clinch the series 3-1 over India on Monday.“He’s all-in, like the rest of us,” said Joe Root, who earlier scored his 39th Test hundred. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“It’s been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn’t get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here at one point, and he’s ready if needed. He’s desperate to do what it takes.”Root added, “Clearly, he’s in a huge amount of pain having done what he’s done… it just shows the character and the person that he’s willing to put his body on the line like that for England.”
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Should Chris Woakes bat with his shoulder injury?
The situation recalls the legendary moment from the 1986 Faisalabad Test, when Pakistan’s Saleem Malik came out to bat with a broken arm.During the 1986 Faisalabad Test between Pakistan and the West Indies, Saleem Malik showed remarkable courage after being struck by a fierce delivery from Malcolm Marshall that broke his left arm. Refusing to give up, Malik returned to the crease wearing a cast, first batting left-handed and later switching to right-handed. His gritty stand helped Wasim Akram forge a crucial last-wicket partnership, playing a key role in one of Pakistan’s most memorable Test victories.That courageous act remains one of cricket’s most heroic injury-defying moments.Whether England will need Woakes today remains to be seen, but just his readiness has already added another dramatic layer to a hard-fought series. As Root summed it up: “Hopefully he doesn’t have to, but if it does come to that, get us across the line and win us an incredible series.”