Woakes retires from international cricket for England as a double World Cup winner

By Canadian Press on September 29, 2025.

LONDON (AP) — England fast bowler Chris Woakes announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Monday after 62 test matches and World Cup wins in the ODI and Twenty20 formats.

His last appearance for England was a test match against India at The Oval in August, when he came to the middle with his left arm in a sling — after suffering a dislocated shoulder — in a last-ditch bid to force a victory.

The 36-year-old Woakes was left out of England squad for the upcoming Ashes series Down Under after failing to fully recover from the shoulder injury and has 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,” Woakes posted on social media, “and I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived out those dreams.

“Representing England, wearing the Three Lions and sharing the field with teammates over the last 15 years, many of whom have become lifelong friends, are things I’ll look back on with the greatest pride.”

Woakes was part of the World Cup-winning teams in 2019 in the ODI format and in 2022 in the T20s.

In test matches, he collected 192 wickets at an average of 29.61, hit one century and was player of the series in the 2023 Ashes series after helping England come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.

He took 173 wickets in ODIs and 31 in 33 T20s.

“I look forward to continuing to play county cricket and exploring more franchise opportunities in the near future,” Woakes said.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press