Mark Wood: T20 money testing my love of playing for England

The 33-year-old could miss the first three matches of England's five-Test series in India at the start of 2024 after being offered a big-money contract to play in the ILT20

England bowler Mark Wood has admitted the money on offer to play in T20 leagues is complicating his "love" of international cricket.

The 33-year-old could miss the first three matches of England's five-Test series in India at the start of 2024 after being offered a big-money contract, worth around £500,000, to play in the ILT20.

England's series against India is scheduled for January 25 to March 11 while the ILT20 is expected to run for a month from January 18.

Wood has earned 31 Test caps for England, taking 104 wickets at 29.45, and lit up the recent Ashes series, taking 14 wickets at 20.21 in three matches and flashing 83 runs at a strike rate of nearly 130.

^{Wood could miss a number of Tests against India [Stu Forster/Getty Images]}

He has also earned 59 ODI caps and 28 T20I caps.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Wood said he wants to continue playing for England "as long as I can" but has to consider the "financial side" of his career.

"I don't know what will happen at the minute. Playing both [India Tests and ILT20] is not a viable option for England," he said.

"England will want me to be there for all the five Tests, not just part-time or some of it. I will wait and see what happens with the up-and-coming central contracts and then make a decision from there.

"At the minute the World Cup is a massive focus, the other thing is my agent and Rob Key knows where I stand. I love playing for England, I want to play for England as long as I can, but it just depends on what they say.

"But time away from home, the financial side of things now, there are more things in play than just solely my love of playing for England."

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.