Chris Woakes will not participate in this year’s Hundred, with England opting to safeguard his fitness following a serious hamstring injury sustained by Test captain Ben Stokes during the tournament.
Stokes suffered the injury while running between the wickets for Northern Superchargers on Sunday. He was helped off the field and later seen leaving Old Trafford on crutches. A scan on the injury was postponed until Tuesday due to significant swelling in the affected area.
With England's first Test against Sri Lanka set to begin at Old Trafford next Wednesday, Stokes' chances of participation appear slim. Should the hamstring injury be severe, it could mark the end of his season, putting his availability for the October tour of Pakistan in jeopardy.
Woakes was initially set to make his season debut for Birmingham Phoenix in their final two group matches—against Trent Rockets on Monday and Manchester Originals on Thursday—both scheduled at Edgbaston. However, England’s management decided to pull him from the games to manage his workload. This decision was reportedly unrelated to Stokes’s injury.
If Stokes is ruled out of the Sri Lanka series, Woakes is expected to take on a more prominent role in England’s lineup, potentially moving up to No. 7 in the batting order to allow for an additional seamer. Alternatively, England might bolster their batting by debuting recent call-up Jordan Cox or selecting another all-rounder, such as Sam Curran.
Over the past two weeks, England’s players have been gradually returning to The Hundred. However, the seamers involved in England's 3-0 series win against the West Indies have largely been absent from the tournament. Mark Wood didn’t secure a contract, and Gus Atkinson has yet to play for Oval Invincibles since his return. Matthew Potts has been in action for Superchargers, but England has already lost the uncapped fast bowler Dillon Pennington to an injury sustained during The Hundred. Olly Stone, who has also been playing, was called up in Pennington’s place.
Monday’s match saw three England Test players in action, though none were bowlers: Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith for Phoenix, and Joe Root for Trent Rockets. Duckett continued his impressive run with a quick-fire 30 off 16 balls, while Smith and Root collectively added only two runs.
Adding to England's injury woes, Zak Crawley will miss the Sri Lanka series after undergoing surgery for a broken finger.