Australia off-spinner Hauritz announces retirement

REUTERS – Australia off-spinner Nathan Hauritz announced his retirement from competitive cricket on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on a 15-year career during which he represented the national side in all three formats.

Hauritz, one of the many spinners Australia turned to after the retirement of bowling great Shane Warne, did not have a state contract for the last two seasons and was used by his Big Bash League side Melbourne Renegades for one match this season.

The 34-year-old failed to take a wicket in that clash, against Perth Scorchers, and conceded 29 runs in his two overs.

“I was just so shattered after the game,” he told reporters. “I realised I hadn’t come down here to be that disappointed about a game of cricket anymore. I thought ‘I don’t need that anymore’. I just want to get away.

“The highs and lows (are too much). I need to get off that up-and-down rollercoaster and get back to a bit of normality in life.

“I competed as hard as I could but I just felt that me competing as hard as I could wasn’t good enough.

Hauritz made his Australia debut in a one-day international against South Africa in 2002 before playing his first test against India in Mumbai two years later.

He took 63 wickets in 17 tests, the last of which he played against India in 2010. He has the same number of dismissals in 58 ODIs and also played three Twenty20 internationals for Australia.

“I have a lot of good memories, obviously a few bad ones mixed among them,” Hauritz added. “But I will definitely look back at my career very proud and very happy with what I achieved.”

(Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by John O’Brien)