Mark Wood announces international retirement after long injury battle

England fast bowler Mark Wood has announced his retirement from international cricket after a prolonged battle with injuries. Wood scalped 253 wickets in his international career after representing England in 146 matches across all three formats.

His last appearance came during the first Test of the Ashes 2025-26 in Perth, where he remained wicketless in 11 overs. He will be remembered as one of England's fastest-ever bowlers, having won the Ashes (2015), 50-over World Cup (2019) and T20 World Cup (2022) with the team.

Announcing his decision ahead of the first ODI between England and Sri Lanka in Durham, Wood revealed that he never wanted to give up playing but is excited to see the young crop of players coming through for England.

"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'. My contract ends in September, and I think it just feels like the right time,” Wood told Sky Sports.

“I never wanted to give up [playing for] England, but the lads that are coming through are doing a fantastic job. The news should be about the lads that are going to get their contract, and I can just focus on other things,” he added.

Wood to continue playing for Durham

Wood played a key role in England’s historic maiden ODI World Cup triumph on home soil, being the team’s second-highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets from ten innings. He also revealed that he couldn’t play ODI or Test cricket anymore on medical advice.

“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,” said Wood in a media release.

The fast bowler will continue to play his trade for Durham in the T20 Blast and other franchise leagues, alongside some media work. He has also studied for his Level 3 coaching qualification.