England all-rounder Chris Woakes is still ready to take the field on the last day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series final at The Oval despite a shoulder injury. If the need arises, Woakes is ready to bat at number 11 in order to assist England in winning the series.
The injury took place during the first day's play when Woakes seemed to dislocate his shoulder while fielding. Consequently, he was excluded from having any more active involvement in the match.
However, with England needing only 35 runs on Monday to chase a total of 374 and seal the series 3-1, Woakes has indicated his willingness to fill in if necessary. On Sunday, he was observed warming up in the indoor nets and even donned his playing whites, indicating his desire to chip in if summoned.
"He's all-in, like the rest of us," said Joe Root, who had already achieved his 39th Test century earlier in the day to put England in striking distance of a win.
"It's been one of those series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that. But he did have some throwdowns in here at one stage, and he's prepared if necessary. He's desperate to do whatever it takes," Root said, lauding Woakes' commitment.
Although England's medical staff has yet to officially confirm the full extent of Woakes' injury, Root did admit that the 36-year-old is struggling with a lot of discomfort.
"Obviously, he's in a lot of discomfort for doing what he has done. It shows again, as we've seen with some other guys in this competition - (Rishabh) Pant batting on a broken foot, guys getting blows all over the place, but it means an awful lot to him.".
"It just indicates the character and the individual that he's prepared to put his body on the line like that for England, and hopefully - well, hopefully he doesn't have to, but if it does come to it - get us over the line and win us an unbelievable series," Root added.
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