England can cope without injured Woakes, says Eoin
Eoin Morgan insists England will be able to cope without Chris Woakes if, as expected, the bowler is ruled out of the rest of the Champions Trophy with a side strain. England were left fearing the worst when Woakes did not return to the field after bowling just two overs during their tournament-opening eight-wicket defeat of Bangladesh at The Oval.
Woakes has undergone a scan overnight but with side strains usually needing around six weeks recovery time it appears the end of his tournament. The Warwickshire player has been England’s most consistent one-day bowler over the past year and Morgan admitted: “At the moment it doesn’t feel right - he went straight off the field and didn’t come back on.
“Side strains are a big confidence thing, aren’t they? He would definitely be a loss if he couldn’t play.
“He’s been very impressive for us over the last couple of years, a mainstay, and a very reliable guy. And it is a worry when he goes off the field and can’t come back on and bowl.”
Asked if England, likely to call up Middlesex’s Toby Roland-Jones as a replacement, would be able to cope without Woakes for the remainder of the tournament, Morgan said: “Yes, I think so. Some of the guys today picked up the load pretty well.”
England suffered another injury scare when Joe Root appeared to damage his right calf while scoring the unbeaten 133 that ultimately got his side over the line during their chase of 306. The Yorkshireman, though, has confirmed he expects to be fit for England’s next match against New Zealand in Cardiff on Tuesday. ”It’s alright it looks like it’s just a bit of cramp,” said Root. “I must not have eaten well enough this morning. I don’t see it as too big an issue.”
Director of cricket Andrew Strauss has no regrets about allowing Ben Stokes to play an extended part in this year’s Indian Premier League even though the all-rounder has since sustained a knee injury that has overshadowed England’s preparations for the Champions Trophy.
Strauss gave Stokes, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler permission to miss England’s two-match one-day series against Ireland earlier this month to continue playing in the IPL.
However, both Stokes and Woakes have been dogged by injury in the run-up to the Champions Trophy, which England begin on Thursday with a match against Bangladesh at The Oval. Stokes has been restricted to bowling just five overs for his country since returning from India after his left knee flared up during the recent ODIs against South Africa. Woakes missed the final two matches of that series with a thigh injury, although England insist the fast bowler was only left out as a precaution.
Strauss has been keen to encourage players to experience the IPL in the hope it will broaden their horizons and help England finally land a major one-day title after years of underachievement. And he has no regrets over that stance even through the extra workload for Stokes and Woakes has potentially undermined their country’s chances of success in the Champions Trophy.
“That is the slight risk you take when you make people available for a chunk of cricket that is outside the international schedule,” said Strauss. “Injuries are part and parcel of the life generally but on one hand you weigh-up the potential risk and on the other you ask what they can potentially gain from that experience.
“Thankfully I don’t think those injuries are of massive concern at this stage. It’s very much precautionary that they’re not playing.” While Strauss downplayed concerns over Stokes, Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, has admitted the 25-year-old, who had a scan on his knee on Tuesday, may only be able to take his place in the team on Thursday as a specialist batsman.
“If that’s the way it pans out, yes,” said the Australian. “It’s a strange one – he can run around the field like a madman and not feel it but as soon as he bowls at full pace it grabs a little bit. So hopefully it’s nothing major.” THE INDEPENDENT