Chris Woakes announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, ending a distinguished 15-year England career.
The 36-year-old all-rounder won both the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup with England, cementing his legacy as one of the most successful players of his generation.
A dislocated shoulder injury sustained during the fifth Test against India this summer ruled Woakes out of this winter's Ashes tour.
With England not renewing his central contract this month as the team begins a "new cycle", Woakes decided against pushing for a recall in 2026.
He retires with 192 wickets from 62 Tests and 204 wickets from 155 white-ball caps. He holds a place on all three honours boards at Lord's - for scoring a century, taking five wickets in an innings, and claiming 10 wickets in a match.
Known to teammates as "The Wizard" and widely dubbed "the nicest man in cricket", Woakes earned particular acclaim for his home performances.
His Test statistics in England were exceptional, claiming 148 wickets at an average of 23.47 with a strike rate of 47.
Woakes' finest Test moment came during the 2023 Ashes series, where he won player of the series honours. Entering the series with England 2-0 down, Woakes claimed 19 wickets to help secure a dramatic draw against Australia.
"The moment has come and I've decided that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket," Woakes said in his statement. "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."
The all-rounder remains in negotiations with Warwickshire over a new county contract and could yet appear in franchise T20 cricket this winter, having opted against surgery on his shoulder.
Sources used: "Guardian", "Daily Mail", "Independent", "Mirror", "BBC", "The Standard" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
