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MacGill announces retirement

June 01, 2008 22:58 IST

Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill will retire from international cricket at the end of the second Test against West Indies, Cricket Australia said in a statement on Sunday.

MacGill has played 43 Tests for Australia, prior to this test, and has taken 207 wickets but has struggled to recover from a wrist operation and had been well short of top form in the current series which Australia lead 1-0.

The 37-year-old gave no specific reason for his decision to quit but suggested that his inability to perform to his best was the main factor.

"There is no way I will ever walk onto a cricket field unless I can guarantee that I can dismiss top order batsmen consistently," he said in the statement.

"The prospect of letting myself and the team down is simply not an option. I have worked way too hard for too long to sabotage my achievements by playing Test cricket for the wrong reasons," he added.

MacGill spent most of his career in the shadows of fellow leg-spinner Shane Warne, who retired last year, but was unable to make the most of the short time he had with the stage to himself.

He underwent an operation on the wrist of his right, bowling hand in December and on the tour of the Caribbean bowled a much higher percentage of loose deliveries than would be expected.

MacGill is yet to make a decision on whether he will continue to play interstate cricket with New South Wales.

Australia will not bring in a replacement player for the third Test in Barbados.

Source: REUTERS
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