London, Aug 14: England pacer Chris Woakes has delivered encouraging news on his recovery from a dislocated shoulder, raising hopes of his availability for the Ashes series in Australia later this year.
The 35-year-old sustained the injury while fielding during the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval earlier this month. Speaking to Sky Sports during an appearance at The Hundred, Woakes was seen without an arm sling and revealed that his rehabilitation was progressing ahead of expectations.“Certainly good news for me,” Woakes said. “I’m out of the sling and can move it a lot better now, which is great two weeks on. There’s still a lot of work to do, but the focus is on rehab and getting it as strong as possible. Ideally, I want to avoid surgery, but we’ll see how it goes.”Woakes had previously told the BBC he was weighing up surgery against a full rehabilitation programme. Despite the injury, he famously came out to bat on the final morning against India, with his left arm in a sling, as England narrowly lost by six runs.
His progress will be a welcome boost for England, for Ashes. (Agencies)
