ECB withdraws Chris Woakes from The Hundred after Stokes' injury

England Cricket Board (ECB) has withdrawn Chris Woakes from the final week of The Hundred. This decision aims to manage his workload as England prepares for their upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka starting on August 21 in Manchester.

Woakes was initially slated to represent Birmingham Phoenix in their last two group matches against Trent Rockets and Manchester Originals, both set to take place at Edgbaston. However, on Monday, Birmingham Phoenix announced that Woakes would no longer participate in the remainder of the competition.

The ECB clarified that Woakes' withdrawal was not linked to the recent hamstring injury suffered by England’s Test captain Ben Stokes. Stokes injured himself while playing for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals on Sunday. Although the severity of his injury is yet to be confirmed, Stokes ended the night on crutches, and his condition will be assessed after a scan on Tuesday.

If Stokes is ruled out of the series against Sri Lanka, Woakes is expected to play a more significant role as the team’s primary all-rounder. The team has several options to consider for batting order adjustments. Uncapped Jordan Cox could step in as a spare batter, with Dan Lawrence likely replacing Zak Crawley at the top of the order. Depending on the team strategy, Jamie Smith and Woakes might move up to numbers 6 and 7, while either Matthew Potts or Olly Stone could join at number 8.

Interestingly, none of England’s primary bowlers from their last two Tests against the West Indies have participated in The Hundred this season. Although Gus Atkinson has been part of the Oval Invincibles squad, he hasn't played a game. Additionally, Shoaib Bashir and Mark Wood have not secured contracts in the competition. Bashir only featured once for Somerset in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, while Wood has remained absent from Durham’s matches.

Chris Woakes is not the only English player affected by injuries in The Hundred. Dillon Pennington, who was in the Test squad against the West Indies but didn’t play, suffered a hamstring injury after bowling just five balls for Northern Superchargers against Oval Invincibles, ruling him out for the season.

In a related development, former England cricketer Ian Bell will join Sri Lanka’s coaching staff for the series against England. Bell, who has been working with Jamie Smith at Birmingham Phoenix, shared that he will be in the opposite camp during the series.