Chris Woakes: End of an Era in England's Test Cricket?

Chris Woakes is set to miss out on future opportunities in England's test cricket line-up as team director Rob Key announced that the seasoned all-rounder, who was not picked for the Ashes series, does not feature in their upcoming plans. Woakes, aged 36, suffered a dislocated shoulder playing against India at The Oval last month and was in a race against time to regain fitness before the Ashes in Australia, which kicks off in Perth on November 21.

On Tuesday, the England cricket board revealed a 16-man squad for the upcoming series, which did not include Woakes. Key elaborated that the unfortunate timing of Woakes' injury was a significant factor in the decision. He stated, "In cricket terms, the timing of it as much as anything else, and the chance of recurrence for the immediate future for Chris Woakes," during a press conference on Wednesday.

With availability for the Ashes a concern, Woakes now finds himself absent from the future cycle of the squad's plans. "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," Key concluded.

(With inputs from agencies.)