O’Sullivan glad to be ‘numpty-free’
with the attack – led by James Anderson and Stuart Broad – which is left behind.
“I don’t think it’s a concern,” he said. “We’ve got a good unit in the dressing-room who are willing to put in the hard yards.
“I think we can all cause some problems out here with what we’ve got.”
Ball had been quickly into his stride on tour so far, in the first warm-up match in Perth and here.
Woakes added: “He’s been bowling nicely on this trip so far, so when you see a fellow fast bowler go off the field – particularly the way he did it, falling under himself – it’s quite frustrating for him and the team.
“It’s never nice to see one of the fast guys go off injured ... particularly mid-game, and losing Finny to go home is really sad for him, with such a big series coming up. That’s unfortunate, and he’s obviously a big loss, an international bowler with a lot of experience for us.
“But we have to deal with it ... and you obviously have to step up as a bowler.”
Woakes, whose home summer was interrupted by a niggling side injury, shaped well for his two wickets.
“It’s the first experience for me with the pink ball in a game situation,” he said.
“It’s exciting cricket, a bit different. (Day-nighters) always seem to bring up good games of cricket, so I’m all for it.”
He believes the current warm-up fixture, at the venue where England will again play under lights in the second Test next month, is sure to prove beneficial.
“It’s important we get as much experience of this as possible, as much knowledge as possible, and a work-out like that today for us as bowlers has been really good.”
England’s currently depleted resources, meanwhile, were illustrated when 41-year-old fielding coach Paul Collingwood was pressed into substitute duties for an over.
“I wasn’t surprised (he came on),” said Woakes. “Someone on the commentary said it was Mase’s (leg-spinner Mason Crane’s) dad on the field.
“(But) the fact he’s still fit as a fiddle, still playing back home, I’m sure he could take any of us on in a fitness challenge as well.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan revelled in a “numpty-free zone” after whitewashing John Higgins to reach the semi-finals of the Champion of Champions event in Coventry.
O’Sullivan reeled off back-toback breaks of 101 and 138 to seal a 6-0 win in a tournament which pits together players who have won major titles over the previous 12 months.
Early last month O’Sullivan caused controversy when he said one of the reasons he was not entering the European Masters in Belgium was because he didn’t want “to play a numpty in Barnsley” in order to qualify.
O’Sullivan said: “It is a numptyfree zone in a way – you come in and you can get on the practice table and get a hotel room, and it’s got one table.”
O’Sullivan, who faces Anthony Hamilton in the last four, added: “I’m just happy to still be in it. In a numpty-free zone tournament, you don’t want to be going home early – you want to stick around.”