Chris Woakes autobiography: Former England seamer slams Rob Key over 'shabby' exit

Former England fast bowler Chris Woakes has described the way he was told he was no longer part of England's plans as ‘cold’ and ‘shabby’, saying managing director Rob Key could have spoken to him privately before making the announcement public.

Woakes, who played 217 international matches for England across formats, including 62 Tests, made his final red-ball appearance during the fifth Test against India at The Oval in August 2025. Despite dislocating his shoulder while fielding, he came out to bat in a bid to help his team. However, the effort did not earn him a place in England's Ashes squad. Woakes subsequently announced his immediate retirement from international cricket.

In his autobiography, The Wizard, Woakes reflected on how England moved on from him. While he accepted his omission from last year's Ashes squad and the end of his England contract, he was hurt by the way Key publicly announced that he was no longer in the team's plans. “Chris Woakes isn’t in our plans," Key said, adding, “at all."

Looking back at the comments, Woakes wrote, as cited by The Guardian: “That final bit felt a bit cold. A bit shabby, really." Woakes stopped short of directly criticising Key, suggesting the words may not have been intended in the way they came across. “I have always got on well with Rob and maybe those words slipped out, not necessarily how he meant them. But he could have easily had that conversation first with me, rather than the press," Woakes wrote.

The two have had little contact since the incident, Woakes added, while acknowledging that professional sport often leaves little room for loyalty. “We have barely spoken since. He is a busy man and moved on to different things. I am sure at some point we will discuss it. But in any walk of professional sport there isn’t much loyalty because the game moves on," Woakes added. England's Ashes campaign later ended in a 4-1 defeat to Australia.