England fast bowler Mark Wood has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 36, bringing an end to a career that saw him become one of the country’s fastest and most popular bowlers across formats.
Wood finishes his international career with 253 wickets in 146 matches. In Test cricket, he claimed 119 wickets in 38 matches at an average of 30.79. His career also included major tournament success, with Wood playing key roles in England’s 2015 Ashes triumph, their 2019 50-over World Cup victory and the 2022 T20 World Cup-winning campaign.
The Durham fast bowler announced his decision on Tuesday morning, September 22, before working as a broadcaster during England’s ODI against Sri Lanka at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street, his home ground.
Wood’s decision comes after several years of battling injuries. He played only one international match following a knee injury suffered during the 2025 Champions Trophy. He returned for the first Test of the 2025-26 Ashes but was not fully fit and later suffered another knee problem, ruling him out of the remainder of the series.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Wood admitted that the repeated injury problems had eventually taken their toll.
“It’s been a long time since Perth, in November, my last game, so it’s been a year-and-a-half where it’s just ground me down to thinking, ‘Look, I’m never going to get back to this level,'” Wood said.
His England central contract expires at the end of September, and he had learned that he would not receive an extension to the three-year deal he signed in 2023. Wood said the timing felt right to step away from international cricket rather than continue attempting to overcome his injury problems.
“I never wanted to give up [playing for] England, but the lads that are coming through are doing a fantastic job,” he said. “The news should be about the lads that are going to get their contract, and I can just focus on other things.”
Wood made his England debut across formats in 2015 and quickly established himself as a fan favourite. His pace, aggressive approach and energetic personality made him a distinctive figure in the England side.
One of his earliest major moments came during the 2015 Ashes, when he took the wicket of Australia’s Nathan Lyon at Trent Bridge to help England secure the series. He subsequently became an important member of England’s white-ball teams under Eoin Morgan.
Injuries repeatedly interrupted his progress, but Wood enjoyed one of the strongest periods of his career in 2019 after making a significant change to his bowling by lengthening his run-up. He claimed his maiden Test five-wicket haul against West Indies in St Lucia, producing one of the fastest spells seen in English Test cricket.
Later that year, Wood played an important part in England’s historic 50-over World Cup triumph on home soil. He finished the tournament with 18 wickets, including the crucial dismissal of Ross Taylor in the final against New Zealand at Lord’s.
Wood continued to produce memorable performances for England in the years that followed. He was particularly impressive during the 2021-22 Ashes in Australia, where he claimed 17 wickets and emerged as one of England’s standout bowlers despite the team’s series defeat.
He then took nine wickets in four matches during England’s successful 2022 T20 World Cup campaign in Australia. In the 2023 Ashes, Wood produced another defining performance at Headingley, taking seven wickets in the match and helping England begin their comeback in the series.
His importance to England was highlighted in late 2023 when managing director Rob Key handed him a three-year central contract in an attempt to protect him from the growing demands of franchise cricket. However, injuries restricted Wood to only seven Tests during that contract period, in which he took 15 wickets, alongside a limited number of white-ball appearances.
The latest chapter of his injury struggles began at the 2025 Champions Trophy. Wood required knee surgery after bowling through the pain during England’s defeat to Afghanistan. England’s medical staff subsequently managed his recovery carefully in the hope that he could return for the Ashes.
He eventually played the opening Ashes Test but later admitted that he had been “nowhere near ready” to return. He bowled 11 wicketless overs before suffering another knee injury that ended his involvement in the series.
Wood is now expected to continue his recovery and hopes to return to bowling next month. While international cricket is over, he intends to remain involved in the game, including playing for Durham in the T20 Blast and appearing in franchise competitions. He is also developing a career in broadcasting and has studied for his Level 3 coaching qualification.
Medical advice means longer-format cricket, including one-day internationals, is no longer considered possible for Wood. However, he hopes his fitness will eventually allow him to continue playing shorter-format cricket.
Looking back on his career, Wood said he would rather be remembered for the person he was inside the England dressing room than for his statistics.
“I’d love to just be remembered for being great amongst the lads in the dressing room, a great team-mate, and someone that tried their absolute best all the time,” he said.
Wood also highlighted the importance of the relationships and memories he built with his teammates, family and friends throughout his England career.
“I really hope that they thought that I was resilient, I kept putting it in when I needed to,” he said. “I think that’s what I’d most like to be remembered by: not by cricketing stats or things like that, more by the person I was and the type of cricketer I was really. And I could bowl fast!”
After more than a decade of international cricket, Wood leaves England’s setup as a bowler remembered for his express pace, resilience and willingness to push his body to the limit. His retirement closes the international chapter of a career filled with major trophies, memorable Ashes performances and some of England’s most exciting fast-bowling spells.
