England fast bowler Mark Wood retires from international cricket

Mark Wood has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket with England.

The fast bowler has been hampered by injuries throughout his career.

This was exemplified during England’s abject Ashes tour of Australia across last winter. Wood played in the first Test in Perth last November, which England lost by eight wickets, in what his first appearance after 15 months out with an elbow injury followed by knee surgery.

However, he bowled just 11 overs before suffering swelling in his troublesome left knee and flew back to England for treatment. The 36-year-old has not played for his country since.

Mark Wood statement

Taking to social media to announce the news, Wood said it was ‘dream come true’ to represent his country.

‘Although this may not come as a surprise given the past year, it just feels like a natural time at the end of my contract,’ Wood said in a statement on social media.

‘I’ve always tried to be resilient and come back from injury to prove people wrong and show everyone what I can do. Unfortunately, this time I lost the battle.

‘On medical advice, Test cricket and 50-over cricket are not possible, so the England dream has slowly been ground out of me over the last year.

‘Playing for England has been the greatest honour I could have ever wished for and a dream come true.’

Wood bows out of international cricket as one of England’s fastest-ever bowlers. He took 119 wickets in 38 Tests after making his debut in 2015 – helping England win back the Ashes on home soil that summer.

The Durham bowler was also part of the England team that lifted the 2019 50-over World Cup, where he took 18 wickets.

He was also in the squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2022, but missed the end stages of the tournament with a calf problem.

In white-ball cricket, Wood retires as England’s sixth-highest wicket-taker in men’s T20s with 54 from 38 matches, and he took 80 scalps in 70 one-day internationals.

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