Mark Wood bowled 11 overs in Perth, and they were the last he bowled for England
The Durham fast bowler has retired from international cricket at 36, after medical advice ruled out Test and 50-over cricket for him.
Sep 23, 2026
Mark Wood has retired from international cricket. The England fast bowler announced it on the morning of 22 September, a few hours before he took his seat in the Sky commentary box for England’s first ODI against Sri Lanka at the Riverside, his home ground in Durham.
He is 36, and he did not dress the decision up. “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,” he said. “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.”
Eleven overs in Perth
The knee is what finished it. Wood hurt his left knee at the 2025 Champions Trophy, needed surgery, and spent a long time out before England picked him for the first Ashes Test in Perth in November 2025. He bowled 11 wicketless overs in that match, reported pain in the same knee, and flew home for treatment. He was ruled out of the rest of the series and never played for England again.
“I’ve always tried to be resilient and come back from injury to prove people wrong and show everyone what I can do,” he said. “Unfortunately this time I lost the battle.”
The record
He finishes with 119 wickets in 38 Tests, from a debut against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2015. In one-day cricket he took 80 wickets in 70 matches. His 54 wickets in 38 T20Is leave him sixth on England’s men’s list.
The numbers are the smaller part of it. He was one of the fastest bowlers England have ever had, and the big days kept finding him. His first Ashes series ended with him having Nathan Lyon play on at Trent Bridge in 2015, the wicket that won the urn back. At the 2019 World Cup he took 18 wickets and topped 95mph, then bowled his full ten overs in the Lord’s final with a side strain.
Three years later he took nine wickets in four games at the T20 World Cup in Australia, before an injury ruled him out of the semi-final against India in Adelaide and the final against Pakistan. England won both without him.
Headingley, 2023
If there is one spell people will replay, it is the one at Headingley. England were 2-0 down to Australia when Wood came into the side for the third Test. His first burst stayed above 90mph and included a 95mph ball that knocked Usman Khawaja’s leg stump out of the ground. He was then at the other end when Chris Woakes hit the winning boundary. The series finished 2-2.
Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket, said Wood had been “a point of difference in Ashes series wins, two World Cup wins”, and that he “thrilled crowds every time he got the ball in his hand”.
What comes next
This is not a full retirement. Wood plans to keep playing T20 for Durham in the Blast and in franchise leagues elsewhere, alongside his media work, and he has studied for his Level 3 coaching badge.
For England, it is another piece of the old attack gone. Stuart Broad and James Anderson went first, and Woakes, whose last act for England was batting at No. 11 at The Oval against India with his arm in a sling, retired in 2025. Wood was the quickest of the lot.