New Delhi: English bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday. The decision from the 36-year-old comes ahead
of Ashes 2025-26 after he did not get a place in the squad for the massive England-Australia Test series.
Woakes last played at the Oval Test match against India few months back where he participated with a dislocated shoulder. Woakes came to to bat courageously with his left-arm in a sling as England went down in the final game of the series.
Across 62 Test matches, Woakes claimed 192 wickets, with his best match figures of 11 for 102 against Pakistan at the Lord’s and best innings figures of 6 for 17 against Ireland at the same venue. With the bat, he has one Test hundred to his name apart from seven fifties.
Pleasure has been all mine. No regrets 🏴 pic.twitter.com/kzUKsnNehy
— Chris Woakes (@chriswoakes) September 29, 2025
Woakes part of two ICC WC wins
The 36-year-old also played 122 ODI matches and 33 T20Is, making 1524 and 147 runs respectively. He has taken 204 wickets jointly in white ball formats. Woakes was part of England’s two ICC World Cup wins – the 2019 ODI World Cup at home and the T20 version at Australia in 2022.
Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said: ‘Chris Woakes is one of the finest people to have played the game. An extraordinary career carved out alongside two of England’s greatest ever bowlers (James Anderson/Stuart Broad). A man who helped every team he played in, even before he walked onto the field.” However, it was Key who made the decisive call on Woakes’ career last week, revealing that the all-rounder was not in England’s plans “at all.” “He was running out of time to be ready for the start for the Ashes. And then once you get out of an Ashes series, you’re often looking at the next cycle, really. So Chris Woakes isn’t in our plans at the minute… at all,’ Key had said after the Ashes squad announcement.
