Walking out to bat with his arm in a sling in a courageous, last-ditch attempt to win a test match for England proved to be the final act of Chris Woakes’ international career.

The 36-year-old Woakes announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Monday, after 62 test matches and World Cup titles in the ODI and Twenty20 formats.

The dependable fast bowler was left out of England’s squad for the upcoming Ashes series Down Under after failing to fully recover from the dislocated shoulder injury he sustained during the fifth and final test against India in August. That led to those remarkable scenes at The Oval where Woakes emerged from the dressing room to a hero’s welcome from the crowd in his whites, left arm in a sling, to bat at No. 11.

He did not face a ball but ran

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