England pacer Chris Woakes, who suffered a side strain during the ongoing Champions Trophy, is likely to miss the first two Tests against South Africa due to the injury.
The Warwickshire all-rounder suffered the injury during England’s tournament opener against Bangladesh and was forced to leave the field after bowling two overs in the match.
Woakes will need around four to six weeks to recover, which effectively rules him out of the first Test, set to be played at Lord’s from July 6. In case he has a speedy recovery, he could probably make it for the second Test at Trent Bridge, set to begin from July 13. However, that seems unlikely.
“It’s a left side strain and there is a tear in the muscle,” Woakes said on Tuesday (June 6). “It’s a grade-two injury, which is not terrible news, but it’s not great news at the same time.
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“They say it’s roughly a four to six-week injury, and it’s more likely to be towards the six when I am back playing competitive cricket. I’m on day five of my recovery now, and the physios say for the first 10 to 14 days there’s not a lot we can do other than rest it.”
Along with James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Woakes has become an integral member of the English pace attack. Even if Woakes recovers in time for the third Test, he will have to make do with practice in only 20-over games, with no County Championship matches scheduled in that period. After a long IPL season followed by a few one-dayers and NatWest Blast matches, Woakes, if he makes it for the third Test, will enter with a long layoff from long-form cricket.
However, the allrounder hasn’t ruled out the possibility of an early recovery. “You don’t rule it out, but I’m probably up against it for the first Test. Sometimes these things heal quicker, sometimes they take longer, so we have to play it by ear.
“It’s also one of those things you can’t rush back – if you do, it can just ping again. You have to make sure you’re right before you come back. The timing of it is frustrating, it’s terrible, but it’s one of those things.”
