Ireland's all-rounder Kevin O'Brien announces ODI retirement
Friday, 18 June 2021 (21:10 IST)
Dublin: Ireland's star all-rounder, Kevin O'Brien, has announced his retirement from ODI cricket, Cricket Ireland announced on Friday.
The 37-year-old finishes as Ireland's third-highest ODI run-scorer with 3,618 runs in 153 games, averaging 29.41 and a strike-rate of 88.72. He also has returned 114 wickets and picked 68 catches to finish as Ireland's highest wicket-taker and catcher in ODI cricket.
"After 15 years playing for Ireland, I feel now is the right time to step away and retire from ODI cricket," O'Brien said in a statement issued by Cricket Ireland.
"It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country 153 times and the memories I take from them will last a lifetime. This has not been an easy decision, but after ongoing consideration, I don't feel I can contribute to the ODI team as much as I have in the past.
The hunger and love for the ODI format is no longer the same as it was and it wouldn't be fair to Andrew, Graham, the team and our supporters to continue to play while no longer feeling at 100 per cent,' he added.
One of O'Brien's most famous exploits was the record-breaking 113 in the ICC World Cup 2011 in Bangalore, when Ireland beat England by three wickets, chasing down a 328-run victory target with five balls to spare.
The all-rounder smashed 113, clobbering six sixes in his 63-ball blitz, in the defining knock of his ODI career. He brought up his century in just 50 balls; even today, it remains as the fastest century at a World Cup.
"I've had some unbelievable moments with the team since 2006 - the three World Cups, the personal successes and spending time travelling and playing all over the world, but I will now shift my focus and remain fully committed to T20 cricket - with two world cups in the next 18 months - and hoping to add to my three caps in Test cricket,' O'Brien said. (UNI)
