England seamer Chris Woakes does not seem willing to have injury replacements in Test cricket. The pacer, who came out to bat on the fifth day at the Oval Test, despite dislocating his shoulder, has supported his captain Ben Stokes on the matter.

Speaking to The Guardian after the conclusion of the Test series, Woakes said that in case a replacement is allowed for injuries, the team would use the loopholes around the law to extract every bit of advantage.

The debate on injury replacements took centre stage midway through the series after Rishabh Pant fractured his foot at Lord’s. Pant, after going off the field in a medical cart, returned to the field, given India’s precarious position with the bat.

“I’m with Stokesy, to be honest. Having played for 18 years, the game is what it is: you lose a player and as a team you have to find a way. It makes you more resilient and the team stronger. I do understand why people might think it’s needed for freak injuries like mine, but there would be too many grey areas or loopholes,” Woakes told The Guardian in an interview after the series.

Asked about his reception as a national hero on the final day at Oval, Woakes said that he was not keen on being remembered that way.

“I mean, it’s not the way you want to be front-page news, you’d sooner it was for five wickets or a century. There have been a lot of ups and downs since, but yeah, the love from the public has helped,” Woakes said.

“It is so weird to go from the start of a Test week, thinking ‘one last push’, to ending up on a physiotherapist’s table wondering what the future holds,” he concluded.

The England seamer is now focused on his recovery and hopes to attain full fitness before the Ashes. Alongside Woakes, his captain Ben Stokes will also be hoping to return to full fitness after recovering from his shoulder injury, sustained during the 4th Test match in Manchester.