He took 192 wickets in 62 Test matches.
England pacer Chris Woakes has announced from international cricket, ending a career that lasted nearly 15 years. The 36-year-old had hoped to play in this winter’s Ashes as one of England’s senior fast bowlers, but a dislocated shoulder during the fifth Test against India this summer ruled him out.
With his central contract not renewed and England planning a new cycle for their Test team next year, Woakes has chosen not to push for a comeback in 2026 and will focus on playing domestic cricket instead.
Chris Woakes shared that the moment has come and he has decided that the time is right for him to retire from international cricket.
“The moment has come and I’ve decided that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket. Playing for England was something I aspired to do since I was a kid dreaming in the back garden, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived out those dreams,” Chris Woakes said.
He worked on rehabilitation to play in the Ashes but was ultimately left out of the squad. After the Ashes 2025 squad was announced, England managing director Rob Key said that Woakes didn’t have enough time to be ready for the series. He added that after an Ashes series, the team looks ahead to the next cycle, and Chris Woakes is not included in their current plans.
“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,” Rob Key said.
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Chris Woakes began his international career in January 2011 on England’s limited-overs tour of Australia, featuring in both T20Is and ODIs. He stepped into Test cricket two years later, making his debut in the final Ashes Test at The Oval.
In 62 Test matches, Woakes took 192 wickets with his best match figures of 11 for 102 and best innings figures of 6 for 17. Along with his bowling, he was a useful batsman, scoring 2,034 runs in 99 innings at an average of 25.11, including one century and seven fifties.
In ODIs, he played 122 matches, taking 173 wickets, including a career-best 6 for 45. He scored 1,524 runs in 88 innings at an average of 23.81, with six half-centuries. He also appeared in 33 T20Is, taking 31 wickets.
Woakes was part of England’s white-ball revival from 2015 and played a key role in winning the ODI World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World Cup in 2022.
Woakes’ final Test match, which also marked the end of his international career, will never be forgotten. In the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, London, he dislocated his shoulder but still came out to bat with his left arm in a sling, showing remarkable bravery.
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