“It’s a grade-two injury, which is not terrible news, but it’s not great news at the same time. They say it’s roughly a four to six-week injury, and it’s more likely to be towards the six when I am back playing competitive cricket.
“I’m on day five of recovery now, and the physios say for the first 10 to 14 days there’s not a lot we can do other than rest it. You don’t rule it out, but I’m probably up against it for the first Test. Sometimes these things heal quicker, sometimes they take longer, so we have to play it by ear.”
Woakes, who has played 17 Tests and 63 One Day Internationals, said he wouldn’t risk returning too early just so he could play in the Test. “It’s also one of those things you can’t rush back — if you do, it can just ping again. You have to make sure you’re right before you come back,” he said. “The timing of it is frustrating, it’s terrible, but it’s one of those things.”
Kent snap up Pakistan leggie Shah
Ace Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah will weave his magic for Kent in four second tier championship matches, the county announced on Monday. The 31-year-old — who has taken 149 wickets at an average of 29.91 in 26 Test matches — is to stand in for Kent’s foreign player signing New Zealand paceman Adam Milne, who is away on Champions Trophy duty.
“Yasir is one of the finest spinners in the world,” Kent head coach Matt Walker said. “Taking 20 wickets consistently in red-ball cricket (county championship) will be key to our promotion chances and a bowler of Yasir’s calibre will help to us achieve that and rotate our attack at a key period in the season.”
Yasir could make his debut in the game with Durham beginning tomorrow. Kent are currently second in the Division Two table, having won four of their opening five games of the season.