England seamer Chris Woakes, currently nursing a shoulder injury, has backed his captain Ben Stokes‘ stance in the ongoing debate over “injury substitutions” in Test cricket.
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India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had retired hurt on the first day of the drawn fourth Test in Manchester but returned to bat the next day, despite scans confirming a fracture in his right foot.India head coach Gautam Gambhir subsequently advocated for the introduction of injury replacements in Tests—a suggestion Stokes had dismissed as “absolutely ridiculous.”Interestingly, in the fifth Test at The Oval, England found themselves in a similar situation when Woakes suffered a fractured shoulder. Despite the injury, he came out to bat on the final day with England nine wickets down and needing fewer than 20 runs to win.“I’m with Stokesy, to be honest,” Woakes told The Guardian.“Having played for 18 years, the game is what it is—you lose a player, and as a team, you have to find a way. It makes you more resilient and the team stronger.”“I understand why people might feel it’s necessary in cases of freak injuries like mine, but there would be too many grey areas and loopholes.”
Woakes’ gritty decision to bat despite his injury has earned him widespread respect.“I mean, it’s not the way you want to make the front page—you’d rather it be for five wickets or a century. There have been a lot of ups and downs since, but yeah, the love from the public has helped,” he said.“It’s so strange to go from starting a Test week thinking, ‘One last push,’ to ending up on a physio’s table wondering what the future holds.”
