Hussey 'very comfortable' with retirement decision

Updated December 31, 2012 13:37:18

Michael Hussey says he knows he has made the "right decision" to retire from international cricket at the end of the Australian summer.

Hussey has announced that the third Test against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday at the SCG will be his final appearance in the five-day arena, prior to making his one-day international farewell.

The 37-year-old will enter the SCG encounter with an impressive Test resume under his belt, having scored 6,183 from his 78 appearances at an average of 51.52.

He has 19 Test centuries to his name and 29 half-centuries since making his debut against West Indies in Brisbane in November, 2005.

His one-day international career has also been solid with 5,442 runs posted at an average of 48.15 from 185 matches.

Hussey says he began to seriously consider retirement prior to the commencement of the recent three-Test series against South Africa.

But he wanted to wait until the current series against Sri Lanka was underway before he made his final decision.

"I have been thinking about for quite a period of time," Hussey told Grandstand.

"But there was probably a bit of a moment when I was away on one of my last trips, probably during the Champions League in South Africa, when I thought ''I'm pretty sure I'll make the decision at the end of the Australian summer'.

"I wanted to come into the Aussie summer and and enjoy it and just play as well as I could, and my feelings pretty much haven't changed coming up to now.

"I'm very happy and very comfortable to be going out on top, I guess."

Hussey will be "going out on top", having so far enjoyed a rich vein of form during the domestic Tests.

He averaged 59 against the Proteas, courtesy of back-to-back centuries at the Gabba and Adelaide Oval, in additional to a half-century in Australia's second innings at the latter.

The Western Australian is also leading the home side's averages with 180 following two Tests against Sri Lanka, having recorded another century in the series opener in Hobart.

He would no doubt have played a pivotal role in Australia's upcoming series away to India and England but he admits the desire to continue had begun to wane.

"I was looking forward to the Indian series and the Ashes series and I didn't have the same excitement and buzz about the challenges ahead that I felt I needed to have," he said.

Hussey also concedes the lengthy absence from his young family while on tour in India and England would have taken its toll.

"I certainly was probably more dreading that than looking forward to the challenges that are going to come forward for that," he said.

Hussey's rise to the Test ranks at the age of 30 was a victory for perseverance, as it came 11 seasons after his first-class debut for Western Australia.

He had long been touted as a future Test player but such was the strength of Australia's batting order he had no choice but to wait his turn.

The long road to making his debut meant his memory is somewhat blurred when he reflects on the presentation of his Baggy Green by the late Bill Brown at the Gabba seven years ago.

"It's such an emotional moment, particularly for me because it took me so long just to get the opportunity to play one Test," he said.

"It just felt like the culmination of so many ups and downs and so many hurdles you had to overcome over the course of my career and just to be standing there that day in front of my team-mates and receive that ... it's just a little green cap really, but it represents so much more than that.

"It represents such a long journey."

Hussey says many of his team-mates were shocked by his announcement, but supported his decision.

Tags: cricket, sport, perth-6000

First posted December 30, 2012 20:15:48

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Lee announces retirement

Updated July 13, 2012 14:41:04

Veteran Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has announced his retirement from international cricket.

Lee's decision does not come as a shock, as he was forced to return home from Australia's one-day series against England because of a calf injury earlier this week.

The 35-year-old has ruled out taking part in this year's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, having based his decision to retire on a "gut feeling".

But he will continue playing Twenty20 in the domestic Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League.

"Obviously it's been a dream career, I guess 13 years at the top," Lee told Channel Nine.

"I suppose I could not ask for any more."

Lee says he is comfortable with his decision.

"It's been a fantastic career and I've loved every single moment of it," he said.

"But it's now stage two of my life coming up so I'm pretty happy and pretty excited."

Lee made himself unavailable for Test duties in 2010, but continued to play one-day and Twenty20 internationals for Australia.

He played 76 Tests for Australia after making his debut in 1999, claiming 310 wickets at an average of 30.81.

Lee made 221 one-day international appearances, collecting 380 scalps at an average of 23.36, and was a member of Australia's victorious World Cup squad in 2003.

He also played 25 Twenty20 internationals in which he took 28 wickets at 25.50.

The opportunity to play the World Twenty20 this year had been enticing to Lee, but he feels now is the right time to step away from the international arena.

"It just came to me this morning and I just felt it was the right time to leave the game," Lee said.

"I guess if I was to try and go over there and play the Twenty20 World Cup not at 100 per cent ... it just would not be worth it, so I just had to walk away from it and I'm proud of the call I've made."

"Looking ahead at the next two months I just didn't have that desire any more. It's not a lack of commitment but you just get to that point in your life when enough's enough and the great run is at an end."

Lee says the key highlight of his career was to have played for much of a period where Australia dominated world cricket.

"I think just playing in a fantastic era ... playing with guys like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist to just mention a few, Steve and Mark Waugh," he said.

"They were heroes of mine growing up."

Australian chairman of selectors John Inverarity paid tribute to Lee's contribution to the game on and off the field.

"The statistics only tell part of the story," Inverarity said.

"Brett has been an absolute ornament to the game; a fine player, a fierce and brave competitor, a generous opponent and one who always upheld the highest standards of sportsmanship."

"He has been a cricketer in every sense of the word."

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted July 13, 2012 11:18:01

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Strauss announces retirement

Updated August 29, 2012 22:33:30

Andrew Strauss has resigned as England Test captain and announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect.

The 35-year-old has brought down the curtain on a 101-Test career that saw him lead England to consecutive Ashes series victories after taking over the captaincy in 2009.

Strauss insists his retirement has nothing to do with the ongoing England exile of star batsman Kevin Pietersen.

"After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England Test captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket," Strauss said in an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement issued ahead of a news conference at Lord's.

"It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.

"The driver to all this is I haven't batted well enough for a long time. I wasn't going to improve batting-wise, I've run my race.

"It's one of these decisions when you know when your time is up.

"It is important for a captain to not be a passenger and that people are not speculating whether you should be in the side."

Alastair Cook, already England's one-day captain and Strauss' opening partner in the five-day game, was announced as the new skipper of the Test team.

England dropped Pietersen, who has not played international cricket in any format since making 149 in the drawn second Test against South Africa at Headingley, after he admitted sending "provocative" texts to Proteas players.

Some of these were alleged to have been critical of Strauss, who succeeded South Africa-born Pietersen as England captain in 2009.

Strauss says he had spoken to England coach Andy Flower about retiring "before the Kevin Pietersen situation reared its head".

His last Test was a 51-run defeat by South Africa at Lord's, his Middlesex home ground where he made his Test debut in 2004, earlier this month that saw England surrender its number one Test ranking to the Proteas.

Strauss scored 21 hundreds - one shy of England's all-time record - and led his side to the top of the world Test rankings, a run that included home and away Ashes wins in 2009 and 2010/11.

Cook's first Test as captain will be the first of a four-match series in India in November.

The 27-year-old paid tribute to Strauss by saying: "Andrew's contribution to England cricket in recent years is evident to everyone who follows the sport but only those of us who have been lucky enough to share a dressing room with him are fully aware of his immense contribution to our success.

"He has been a fantastic captain, has led from the front for three-and-a-half years and is a true ambassador for the game.

"I know this can't have been an easy decision for him and everyone in the dressing room will be sad to see him go.

"I'm very excited by this new challenge, it is a huge honour to be appointed Test captain."

Strauss has enjoyed modest returns with the bat in recent years and his 122 against West Indies in May was his first Test century since November 2010.

He followed up with another century, at Trent Bridge, but averaged just 17.83 in six innings against the Proteas.

England's form in 2012 has been poor, with six defeats in 11 Tests culminating in a 2-0 series loss to the Proteas, its first home reverse in four years.

AFP

Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted August 29, 2012 21:06:58

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