Mark Wood Calls Time on England Career at 36

The injury-plagued Durham quick, a winner of two World Cups with England, says medical advice ended his international ambitions.

Mark Wood, the Durham pace bowler, has stepped away from international cricket with immediate effect. At 36, he hangs up his England cap as one of the quickest bowlers the country has produced, though persistent fitness problems shadowed much of his time in the game.

Injury trouble defined his final chapter. A long layoff caused by an elbow problem and knee surgery kept him out for 15 months before he returned for the opening Ashes Test in Perth last November. He managed only 11 overs before the same left knee swelled up again, forcing him home for treatment and he never appeared for England afterward.

Announcing the decision on social media, Wood said doctors had told him Test and 50-over cricket were no longer realistic options, leaving him with little choice. He described representing England as the greatest honor of his life and said he hopes to keep playing cricket in some form.

Debuting in 2015, Wood claimed 119 Test wickets across 38 matches and helped England reclaim the Ashes at home that first summer. He lifted the 50-over World Cup in 2019, taking 18 wickets in the tournament, and was part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2022, though a calf issue ruled him out of the closing rounds. He also played a decisive role in England fighting back from 2-0 down to draw the 2023 Ashes.

His white-ball record includes 54 T20I wickets from 38 games, sixth-best among England men, plus 80 wickets in 70 ODIs. Rob Key, England men's managing director, called it a privilege to witness the closing stretch of a great career and said Wood could reflect on it with huge pride.