Why is Chris Woakes not bowling in England vs India 2025 5th Test?

England veteran pacer Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the fifth Test against India after dislocating his shoulder while saving a boundary on Day 1 at The Oval. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has officially confirmed that he will no longer partake in the remainder of the contest, while his injury will be assessed following the culmination of the series.

Chris Woakes seemed to be in immense pain by the boundary ropes after putting in a dive to pull the ball back. However, his efforts led to a serious injury as the physios were immediately summoned. The player looked in some serious discomfort while making his way out of the ground, hinting that his involvement was coming to an unfortunate end.

The pacer was the sole bowler alongside Mohammed Siraj to be a part of all five Tests in the series. Being the seniormost bowler in the group, he had pulled a massive shift in all the matches, bowling a total of 181 overs, the most he has bowled in a series, until his injury.

ECB released the statement ahead of the day's play on Friday, August 1.

"Chris Woakes set to play no further part in the fifth Test. A further assessment will take place at the end of the series," the brief statement read.

The right-arm pacer had bowled 14 overs on Day 1 of the fifth Test, conceding 46 runs and accounting for KL Rahul's wicket in the 16th over of the innings.

Chris Woakes' absence in England's revamped bowling unit is a massive setback

After a gruelling fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, where England had to bowl a total of 257 overs, including 143 in the final innings, both Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes were not included in the playing XI for the fifth Test. The skipper was struggling with a shoulder injury, while Archer had played consecutive Tests after a return from injury.

Woakes was supposed to be the glue that kept the English bowling unit, featuring without a frontline spinner. However, his absence means that the likes of Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Craig Overton will have to take on additional responsibility, with both bat and ball.

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Edited by Gokul Nair