‘I’m sorry to say this but if someone gets injured, tough s***. Deal with it’ - England react after epic six-run loss

England captain Ben Stokes took his side’s agonising six-run loss to India on the chin at the Kia Oval, accepting a 2-2 draw was the right result for one of the hardest-fought series in memory.

Nearly seven weeks of intense battle, fierce rivalry and knife-edge cricket came to a fitting end on the final morning of the Test summer, with the tourists forcing through a remarkable win.

With England needing 35 to win with four wickets in hand for a mammoth chase of 374, they took the last four wickets for 28 runs in riotous scenes that instantly earned a place alongside the sport’s most cherished moments.

As the tension reached almost unbearable levels, Chris Woakes spent 16 excruciating minutes batting one-handed with a badly dislocated left shoulder. Gus Atkinson protected him from facing a ball but was ultimately unable to protect his own stumps from the indomitable Mohammed Siraj, who etched his name in history with his third wicket of the morning, fifth of the innings and 23rd of the series.

Stokes, who missed the fifth-Test decider with a shoulder injury of his own, hurt for his team but accepted the conclusion was deserved.

“The series as a whole has been pretty much toe to toe for 25 days. From a cricket fan’s point of view, 2-2 is probably fair,” he said.

“Two very good teams who have thrown everything at each other and left everything out there. We obviously would have loved to get a series win but it wasn’t meant to be.

“We’re bitterly disappointed we couldn’t get over the line but it was another hard-fought game and both teams put so much energy and effort into the series, it’s been an amazing one to be part of.

England captain Ben Stokes after India draw the series on day five of the fifth Test at the Kia Oval

“There’s a little bit of frustration there as well but as a massive advocate of this format and for Test cricket as a whole, this has certainly been one of those series that could hopefully keep off the narrative around ‘Test cricket is dying’.”

The game felt like it was won and lost on a number of occasions over the past few days but England looked to have settled it on the third afternoon, when the twin centuries of Joe Root and Harry Brook took them to 301 for three.

From there they lost seven for 66, culminating in the high drama of Woakes’ walking wounded cameo.

Stokes paid tribute to his bravery but doubled down on his position that injury substitutes have no part in Test cricket. India’s Rishabh Pant batted at Old Trafford with a broken foot and Shoaib Bashir took the winning wicket at Lord’s with a broken little finger in his left hand.

For Stokes, who bowled himself out of the series by pushing his body to the edge, that is how it must be.

“I’m sorry to say this but if someone gets injured, tough s***. Deal with it. That’s how we view it,” he said.

“I am still heavily against it. It’s just sod’s law that this has happened the week after I said I was against it, but my view has not changed.

“There was never going to be a question in Woakesy’s mind about what he was going to do. He spent yesterday trying to figure out if he was going to be left or right-handed. He was in a lot of discomfort running between the wickets…but he’s out there trying to get his team over the line.

“It shows what it is to play for your country and try to win for your country.”

Siraj, who bowled an epic 185.3 overs over the five matches, earned his place in the spotlight as the curtain came down.

“From the first day till the fifth game, fifth day, we have fought an unbelievable fight,” he said.

“God must have written something good for me, that’s why I won this match and took the last wicket. When I woke up today, I thought I could do it. I downloaded a picture from Google saying ‘believe’.”

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