The star fast bowler from England, Chris Woakes, announced his sudden retirement from international cricket. Currently recovering from a dislocated shoulder, Woakes was not considered for the Ashes. In such a scenario, the fast bowler hung up his boots from all the formats of international cricket. Gautam Gambhir, whose team was fighting against Woakes in the Anderson-Tendulkar Series, has shared a heartfelt tribute, calling him the "man with iron will." Notably, Woakes was supposed to be the only English fast bowler who would have played all five Test matches in the series, just like India's Mohammed Siraj. However, in the first innings of the final Test match at the Oval, while fielding at the boundary, Woakes landed awkwardly on his shoulder. He left the field with pain, but he was the last man to come out when India needed one wicket to win. Woakes has his arms wrapped in his sling and guarded by his cardigan. He still ran for singles while his hand got dislocated. Woakes was shivering with pain. Even though his team did not win the match, his grit was widely praised. Recalling the incident, India's head coach wrote on his X account, “The man with an iron will! You will be remembered as one of the bravest to ever walk the field Chris! The man with an iron will! You will be remembered as one of the bravest to ever walk the field Chris! @chriswoakes pic.twitter.com/bnaCi31GSa — Gautam (@GautamGambhir) September 29, 2025 Read also: Cricket Australia Trials Injury Replacement Rule in Sheffield Shield Chris Woakes announced the end of his international career after a remarkable 15-year journey. He played 62 Tests, scoring over 2000 runs and taking 192 wickets, along with 122 ODIs and 33 T20Is where he claimed 204 wickets in total. Woakes expressed gratitude for living his childhood dream of representing England, cherishing memories of wearing the Three Lions and building lifelong friendships. He highlighted the joy of winning the 2019 ODI and 2022 T20 World Cups and memorable Ashes moments. Woakes credited his family for their support and plans to continue county cricket and explore franchise cricket opportunities.