Mark Wood picks his greatest hits in Test Match Special farewell
Mark Wood has retired from international cricket, and Test Match Special has handed him the microphone for a farewell.
The BBC released a 26-minute special titled "Mark Wood's greatest hits" on 24 September 2026, listed as part of the Test Match Special Podcast on Radio 5 Live BBC. The timing is deliberate. Wood announced his retirement from England duty in the same week as the release.
The episode pairs Wood with presenter Simon Mann. Wood appears as a former England fast bowler — pace bowling meaning the job built on raw speed and short, sharp spells — looking back rather than looking ahead.
The format is simple. Mann guides Wood through his favourite moments in an England shirt. No scorecard rundown. No debate. Just the bowler's own picks.
One memory makes the cut. Wood revisits his dismissal of Usman Khawaja during the 2023 Ashes, the five-Test England-Australia series that remains cricket's oldest rivalry. A dismissal, for new followers, means getting a batter out. This one stuck with him.
Short is the point. Twenty-six minutes keeps it tight. It suits Wood too. His England career was built on bursts — run in hard, bowl fast, change the mood of a match in a handful of overs.
What makes this stand out is the voice. Retirement interviews often belong to other people talking about a player. Here Wood does the choosing. Fans hear which balls and which days mattered to the man who bowled them.
For fans, this means an easy entry point. You do not need to know Wood's full record to enjoy it. If you know the Ashes, you will know the feeling of that Khawaja moment. If you do not, Mann sets the scene and Wood fills in the rest.
