Chris Woakes upset to miss Champions Trophy
Chris Woakes has spoken of his frustration after he was ruled out of the rest of the Champions Trophy with a side strain.
Great Barr’s Woakes sustained the injury during his two-over spell in England’s opening eight-wicket win over Bangladesh at The Oval on Thursday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Friday morning that the key seamer would play no further part in the tournament.
“More than anything, it’s really frustrating,” said Woakes, who has been replaced by Steven Finn for tomorrow’s clash with New Zealand. “It’s a tough one to take, right at the start of a tournament which we have been building up to as a team for a while.
“We’ve had our eyes on the Champions Trophy for a while now as a team and we were coming into the tournament in good form.
“The toughest thing as a bowler is having to come off after only bowling a couple of overs.
“Leaving the guys out there with almost 10 men is difficult to take, so I’m really pleased the boys managed to get over the line with a win.”
The 28-year-old Warwickshire all-rounder feared his Champions Trophy was over as he left the field just three overs into the tournament.
“I finished two overs but it was probably on the third or fourth ball of the second over that it felt like something had become tight in my side,” he added. “I managed to finish the over but by the last ball I knew that something really wasn’t right. To a certain extent, it felt like someone was sticking a knife in my side. That was why I didn’t come back out.
“I knew yesterday that it wasn’t going to be good news. It was then a matter of seeing how bad it would be on the scan results.”
Woakes, along with Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, was given permission by England to miss the recent one-day international series against Ireland to play in the Indian Premier League.
Stokes has struggled with a knee injury since his return while Woakes was rested against South Africa as he recovered from a thigh niggle. But Woakes insisted his injuries could not be attributed to his time spent in India.
“When I came back from the IPL, my body felt as good as it can be,” he said. “I felt in a good space physically and mentally, and I was confident too because I bowled well out there.”
