Chris Woakes opened the tournament with a maiden, but then could manage just one over more © Getty Images
England allrounder Chris Woakes will take no further part in the Champions Trophy, after suffering a side strain in the tournament opener against Bangladesh on Thursday. Woakes was forced off the field after bowling just two overs, and did not return.
He had scans later, which revealed the injury was serious enough to end his tournament. England are yet to name a replacement for him.
Woakes had gone into the Bangladesh match nursing a tight quad that led to his omission from the final two matches of England’s recent ODI series against South Africa, but he seemed back to his best when he opened the tournament with a maiden to Tamim Iqbal.
Morgan said after the game that England had not rushed Woakes back from the quad niggle. “He was chomping at the bit to play,” he said. “If we rushed him, he might have played the last game of the [South Africa] one-day series but we didn’t want to rush him.”
While the details of Woakes’ injury are not yet known, a typical recovery for a side strain can take between four and six weeks. Things get especially tricky if the injury involves damage to the intercostal muscles, because, even when fully recovered, fast bowlers in particular find it hard to hit the crease with their usual aggression for fear of suffering a relapse.
More to follow
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo