Chris Woakes in danger of missing Ashes as England’s injury woes worsen post series vs India

Chris Woakes’ participation in Ashes under doubt

Chris Woakes has dislocated his shoulder in the fifth and final Test of the series against India, and according to England head coach Brendon McCullum, the all-rounder was under immense pain when he decided to get back out there and put up a fight for his nation on the fifth day.  With Chris Woakes' injury looking worse than expected, England are hoping for the best. Woakes is scheduled to have scans on his shoulder later this week, and the England coaching staff is patiently hoping for some good news with the Ashes approaching.  

As per reports, a shoulder dislocation could take as much as 12 weeks to heal so a 2-3 month absence is guaranteed for Chris Woakes. Woakes is naturally ruled out from the ongoing The Hundred men’s tournament, where he was supposed to play for the Welsh Fire in the 2025 season. With the first Test of the Ashes scheduled for 21st November 2025, Chris Woakes has less than three months to recover from his shoulder injury and be fit and firing for the first Test. 

This has provided another major injury headache to the England Cricket Team that has been struggling with the fitness and experience of their bowling department ever since the retirements of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. Throughout the five-match Test series against India, England struggles with fitness and the unavailability of star bowlers like Gus Atkinson and Jofra Archer. Even captain Ben Stokes plunged to injury and missed out on the fifth Test. Hence, with injury to Chris Woakes, it adds another unwanted problem to England’s bowling lineup and the balance of the side. 

Chris Woakes record in the Ashes 

Chris Woakes has been one of the most consistent players for England in the last decade and boasts a decent record in the Ashes against their arch-nemesis, Australia. Chris Woakes made his Ashes debut in the 2013 series at home, where England emerged victorious 3-0 in the five-match Test series, which coincidentally was also the last time England won an Ashes series. 

Chris Woakes, throughout his Ashes career, has played 15 Test matches and boasts an impressive and efficient record for an all-rounder. In the 15 Ashes Tests Chris Woakes has played, he’s scored 501 runs coming in at the lower order with an average of 20.87 and the highest score of 44. With the ball in hand, Chris Woakes had the job to complement James Anderson and Stuart Broad and give them rest between spells. Chris Woakes has picked up 46 wickets in 15 Tests with an average of 34.67, and his best bowling figures include a fifer at Old Trafford in the fourth Test of the 2023 Ashes, where he picked up 5-62. 

Potential replacements for Chris Woakes in Ashes 

Brendon McCullum and company will be hoping for Chris Woakes' scan to come out positive and hoping that he’ll be fit enough for the first Test of the Ashes at the Optus Stadium in Perth. But if Chris Woakes indeed misses out on the Ashes, which is highly likely as things stand, England will have to work their way out on who will be a replacement for their all-rounder.  

Sam Cook 

A like-for-like replacement for England will be the English allrounder Sam Cook, a.k.a ‘Little Chef’ of Essex. Sam Cook has had an impressive first-class career playing for Essex County. In 93 matches, Sam Cook has taken a total of 328 wickets for Essex with an average of 20.64. And his best bowling figures include 7/23. However, Cook isn’t as potent a bowling all-rounder as Chris Woakes, as he’s only scored 813 runs in his 93 matches in first-class. 

Additionally, Sam Cook could be in the squad for the Ashes, but it is still unlikely that he makes it to the playing XI because Cook only just made his Test debut back in May in the Test series against Zimbabwe. With just one Test under his belt, it will be a huge gamble for England to field Sam Cook in the first Test of the Ashes in November. 

Gus Atkinson and Jofra Archer

Given the lack of depth at the position of Chris Woakes, England is extremely likely to go to a different route and play both Gus Atkinson and Jofra Archer in the same starting lineup to make up for the absence of Chris Woakes. While Gus Atkinson, in his young career for the England Test side, has established himself as one of England’s most potent bowlers and, time and again, has proved that he could pack a punch and score crucial runs lower down the order. He could very well be a long-term replacement for Chris Woakes as Woakes nears the end of his England career. 

Jofra Archer similarly made his return to Test cricket after four years in the Anderson-Tendulkar series against India. Jofra Archer was dropped for the fifth Test to make room for Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue. It is likely that in the absence of Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer returns back to the lineup and plays alongside Gus Atkinson to fill the gap left by Chris Woakes. 

Ben Stokes and his England side will be eagerly awaiting the result of the Chris Woakes scan and will be hoping for positive news. But if Chris Woakes does miss out on the Ashes, England have some big calls to make heading into the Australian summer down under.