Chris Woakes has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on a 15-year England career that included two World Cup triumphs and a celebrated Test record. The 36-year-old Warwickshire seamer had hoped to win a place on this winter's Ashes tour, but a dislocated shoulder sustained during the fifth Test against India in the summer ended that ambition.
England's decision not to renew his central contract this month, with team director Rob Key indicating a "new cycle" for the Test side beginning next summer, led Woakes to conclude that the time was right to step away. In a statement on Monday, he said: "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."
Woakes finishes with 192 wickets in 62 Tests, including 148 at an average of 23.47 on home soil — a better average than either Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad managed. His strike-rate of 47 in England is bettered only by Fred Trueman and Bob Willis among past greats. He also averaged 25 with the bat, scoring seven half-centuries and a career-best 137 not out against India in 2018.
A key figure in England's 2019 50-over World Cup victory, he was player of the match in the semi-final against Australia, and was also part of the side that lifted the T20 World Cup in 2022. His white-ball haul across 155 caps was 204 wickets. Woakes, known to teammates as "The Wizard," also claimed a Compton-Miller Medal for his player-of-the-series performance in the 2023 Ashes, taking 19 wickets.
In his statement, Woakes thanked his family, wife Amie, daughters Laila and Evie, and the England fans, saying: "Lifting two World Cups and being part of some amazing Ashes series is something I never thought was possible." A one-club man to date, he is in negotiations with Warwickshire over a new county contract and could yet feature in franchise T20 cricket this winter.
