Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the fifth Test against India at The Oval with a suspected dislocated shoulder in a blow to England’s hopes of a series victory.
Woakes was chasing a ball racing away towards the boundary when he dived to keep it in play. And although he managed to scoop it away from the rope, he tumbled onto his shoulder before yelling out in pain.
The bowler was attended to by physios before being led off the field of play, with only a few minutes left before stumps on a rain-affected opening day.
And after being inspected by England’s medical team, the bowler has been ruled out for the remainder of the match.
An ECB statement read: “England seamer Chris Woakes will continue to be monitored throughout the remainder of the Rothesay Fifth Test at The Kia Oval, following a left shoulder injury sustained on day one of the match against India.
“At this stage, the injury has ruled him out of any further participation in the Test. A further assessment will be conducted at the conclusion of the series.”
India finished the first day on 204-6, having fought back late in the piece thanks to Karun Nair’s 50 not out.
The loss leaves the hosts with a sizeable hole to fill when they resume on Friday, particularly given some erratic bowling displays from Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton.
Atkinson was easily the pick of the bowlers with two for 31 in 19 overs and made the key run out of Shubman Gill.
Atkinson will find himself as the most senior member of the attack in just his 13th appearance. He is only just back from a niggling hamstring problem that dates back to May’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe but stands ready to take a greater burden as England attempt to turn their 2-1 lead into a 3-1 series win.
“I feel fresh, I feel good and I know I’ve only got this one game to play so I can push the limits a bit,” he said. “It was disappointing to miss the first four games of the series, I’ve never really had a muscle injury like that before, but to come back for this important game at my home ground is nice.
“I felt like I bowled well and challenged the batters at times.”
