Will Chris Woakes come out to bat on Day 5? Joe Root opens up

England talismanic batter Joe Root, who smacked an excellent century on Day 4 of the Oval Test, has confirmed that the injured Chris Woakes will come out to bat if his services are required on the fifth and final day of the Test on Monday, August 4.

It’s important to know that England needs 35 more runs to win the game and series by 3-1. Keeper-batter Jamie Smith and all-rounder Jamie Overton are batting at the crease, and they look set to go past the target in the opening session of Day 5.

Root, who scored his 39th Test century, ended his innings on 105 runs in 152 balls with 12 fours to put his side in a steady position before getting dismissed. He stitched a 195-run game-changing partnership with Harry Brook (111) to turn the game upside down.

For the unversed, Woakes suffered a shoulder dislocation while trying to stop a boundary on the opening day of the ongoing Test, and since then, he has not come out to the field. However, he was seen wearing whites in the dressing room on Day 4.

"He's all-in, like the rest of us. It's been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn't get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here [the indoor school] at one point, and he's ready if needed… He's desperate to do what it takes," Root said after the close of the fourth day’s play.

"I'm not sure. I've not seen him practice yet. You might get a better indication tomorrow if he has some throwdowns in the morning," he added.

"Clearly, he's in a huge amount of pain having done what he's done. It just shows, as we've seen from other guys in this series - [Rishabh] Pant batting with a broken foot, guys taking all sorts of blows here and there - but it means a huge amount to him. It just shows the character and the person that he's willing to put his body on the line like that for England, and hopefully - well, hopefully he doesn't have to, but if it does come to that - get us across the line and win us an incredible series," Root concluded.

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