England picked a 16-member squad for the Ashes, with no Chris Woakes and the men’s team managing director, Rob Key, all but sealed the veteran all-rounder’s future with the Test team. Woakes suffered a brutal shoulder injury during the Oval Test against India.
England men’s team managing director Rob Key might have sealed Chris Woakes’ future with the national team by confirming his presser that the veteran all-rounder wasn’t in the side’s immediate plans. Woakes didn’t make England’s 16-strong Ashes squad due to his injury, as the medical team determined that he wouldn’t be able to participate in the series in time after suffering a shoulder injury during the fifth and final Test against India at the Oval.
Woakes lost his place to Matty Potts, who was picked as the sixth pacer in the squad, apart from Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue and since Ashes is considered be all and end all of a cycle in English and Australian cricket, Key said that he wasn’t in the plans for the side for now and didn’t see a window where the 36-year-old could be considered again.
“No, unlikely [that he is in our plans],” Key said in a press conference a day after Ashes squad selection. “It’s been as tough a time for someone, in cricket terms, the timing of it, and the chance of reoccurrence for the immediate future.
“He was running out of time to be ready for the start of the Ashes. And then once you get out of an Ashes series, you’re often looking at the next cycle really. So Chris Woakes isn’t in our plans at the minute at all,” he added. Woakes played all five Tests against India but broke down in the final game, and Key was concerned about his fitness going forward, even after he returns to full fitness.
Woakes, meanwhile, was one of the pre-signings for MI Emirates ahead of the fourth edition of the ILT20.
England squad for Ashes series: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (vc), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood