Mark Wood ended his international cricket with 146 matches and 253 wickets.
One of England’s fastest bowlers for over a decade, Mark Wood worked tirelessly to recover from injuries and make a comeback to international cricket. However, after yet another tough stint off the field, the 36-year-old has decided to end his career with England.
In his Instagram post, Wood reflected back on his career and his fight with injuries, and then the difficulty in accepting that he will not be able to make the comeback he had hoped for, and how medical advice led to him making this decision.
"I've made the decision to retire from international cricket. 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. I've always tried to be resilient and come back from injury to prove people wrong and show everyone what I can do. Unfortunately, this time I lost the battle. 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.
Playing for England has been the GREATEST honor I could have ever wished for and a dream come true. The little lad in me would be so chuffed to have played so much for England. To travel the world, meet incredible people, and play with and against the best is something I feel incredibly lucky to have done, doing something I have loved,” Wood posted on Instagram.
Mark Wood pondered the importance of playing for England and thanked people who had helped him during his career. He particularly thanked his family members, friends, teammates, coaches, doctors, and all the fans of England.
"There is no better feeling than playing for England, and the pride I've had wearing the shirt can't really be explained. I hope I've represented my family, my cricket club, the town, and the region of the northeast with pride, and I hope I have represented the country in just the same way. I have peace of mind that I tried my very best; I gave it everything I had and tried to bowl every ball like it was my last and as fast as I could!
"I've got to play with some of the best players this country has seen, have experienced great coaches, and have been involved in some incredible teams. I've had phenomenal physios and other back-room staff who, without their care, I wouldn't have been able to play half as much. The memories I share both on and off the field playing for England are what I'll hold dear, especially those relationships," he posted.
"To the fans, thank you for your support and cheering me on home and away. To the barmy army, the best fans in the world, twist and shout will always have a different feeling for me now, and the last chant towards me at Perth will stay with me. Most importantly, to my family and friends, thanks for always being there in good times and bad. Behind the scenes, having to deal with setbacks and knowing I had a grounded support always made me want to come back even better.
I got to live out a dream, and I hope I can continue playing cricket in some capacity and pursuing other challenges in the future,” Wood concluded.
Wood finished his international career with 146 matches and 253 wickets across the three formats.
In 38 Tests, Wood claimed 119 wickets in 71 innings at an average of 30.79 and an economy rate of 3.32. His best innings figures were 6/37, while his best match figures were 9/100. He also took five wickets in an innings on five occasions.
In 70 ODIs, the England pacer picked up 80 wickets in 69 innings. He averaged 40.82 and had an economy rate of 5.58, with the best bowling figures of 4/33.
Wood also played 38 T20Is, taking 54 wickets in 37 innings. His T20I bowling average was 20.24, with an economy rate of 8.45 and best figures of 3/9.