Bevan retires from cricket

One of the greatest ODI batsman to ever pick up the bat, Michael Bevan, has today retired from first class cricket.

Bevan who has spent the last three years playing as well as acting as an assistant coach at Tasmania, cited ongoing injuries as the reason for calling it quits.

“It got to the stage where injuries and pain were holding back my motivation, and it got to the stage where I was finding it hard to get up for matches and that was probably a pretty clear indication that it was time to move on,” he said.

Bevan, 36, made a name for himself as a cricketer who could get Australia out of tricky situations and won numerous games for his country that way. He would often come to the crease with Australia in a poor position and negotiate his way to the finish line, either for the win or to post a competitive total.

His 232 matches yielded 6912 runs at an average of 53.58 in a career that included two World Cup wins. He also played in 18 Test matches for Australia and spent 14 years playing for New South Wales before making the move to Tasmania in 2004.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said cricket would miss Bevan for his ability to excite the crowds and win matches.

“Michael Bevan was an integral part of Australia’s one-day plans for a decade. His 232 ODI appearances for his country earned him an impressive batting average in excess of 50. A World Cup winner in 1999 and 2003 he has been part of an incredibly successful generation of Australian cricketing talent,” he said

“Feared by oppositions around the world, Michael was also a fielder of high calibre and wore the baggy green in 18 Test Matches. His brand of left-arm wrist spin gave him the all-rounder tag and added another option to the national side.”