ICC Champions Trophy: Woakes ruled out
The 28-year-old right-arm seamer pulled up after bowling just two overs in the eight-wicket victory at The Oval and underwent a scan following the match.
As he awaited the results of the scan, England captain Eoin Morgan admitted Woakes, who is currently No. 7 in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, would be a significant loss.
“He’s obviously been very impressive for us over the last couple of years and a mainstay, a very reliable guy, and it is a worry when he goes off the field and can’t come back on and bowl,” said Morgan.
“He would definitely be a loss if he couldn’t play [in the rest of the tournament].”
Woakes sat out the second and third One-Day Internationals in the recent series against South Africa but Morgan insisted he was 100 per cent fit ahead of England’s ICC Champions Trophy opener.
“He was champing at the bit to play. If we rushed him he might have played the last game of the series [against South Africa] but we didn’t want to rush him.”
Woakes’ post-game scan showed the injury was serious enough to make him miss the rest of the tournament, which was confirmed by the England Cricket Board on Friday morning.
The severity of the injury is not known yet but it's likely that Woakes will be out of action for four to six weeks, and might also be in danger of missing the initial phase of England's Test series at home against South Africa after the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
One of the most vital members of the English bowling attack, Woakes came into the tournament opener nursing a tight quad that stopped him from featuring in the final two One-Day Internationals in the series against South Africa last week. The 28-year-old was then passed fit to play against Bangladesh before he suffered the side strain.
An ECB press release said a replacement for Woakes would be named in due course. Possible candidates include Middlesex pair Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones, who both featured in the recent ODI against South Africa at Lord’s, while Surrey’s Tom Curran was called up for England’s tour of West Indies in March, but is yet to make his debut.
If England are looking for a more experienced option then Stuart Broad, who hasn’t played a limited-overs international since February 2016, could also come into consideration.
Image: ICC Website
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