Cricket-England all-rounder Woakes announces international retirement

LONDON (Reuters) -England all-rounder Chris Woakes announced his international retirement on Monday after missing out on selection for the Ashes series starting in Australia in November.

Team director Rob Key said last week that the 36-year-old, who suffered a dislocated shoulder against India at The Oval last month, did not feature in plans for the future.

"The moment has come, and I've decided that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket," Woakes said in a statement on social media.

"Playing for England was something I aspired to do since I was a kid dreaming in the back garden, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived out those dreams.

"Representing England, wearing the Three Lions and sharing the field with teammates over the last 15 years, many of whom have become lifelong friends, are things I'Il look back on with the greatest pride."

He looked forward to continuing in county cricket and said he would explore franchise opportunities.

Woakes played in 62 tests, 122 one-day internationals and 33 T20 internationals.

He was a 50-over World Cup winner with England in 2019 and in the T20 format in 2022.

He ends his test career, which began in 2013, with 192 wickets at an average of 29.61. He scored one test century and seven half-centuries, averaging 25.11 runs.

"The images of Chris walking out to bat with his arm in a sling to try and win a test match this summer reflected how much he cared about playing for his country and being the best teammate he could be," said ECB chair Richard Thompson in a statement.

"He has been a gentleman off the field, with the skills and fierce determination to win on it, regularly rising to the occasion on the biggest stage with bat as well as ball."

Key added: "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. A man who helped every team he played in, even before he walked onto the field."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)