Stuart MacGill: stumps pulled on international career

Stuart MacGill has stunned the cricketing world by announcing his international retirement midway through the second Test against the West Indies in Antigua.

The Australian leg-spinner declared his 44th Test would also be his last on the morning of the third day at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, just months after undergoing wrist surgery in a bid to prolong his career.

The 37-year-old said the feeling he would let teammates down by continuing below his best, as well as sully his own impressive Test record, were key factors in the decision.

The shock announcement opens the door for young NSW left-arm spinner Beau Casson to possibly make his Test debut in the third Test against the West Indies in Barbados starting next week.

Allrounder Ashley Noffke may also come into consideration if selectors choose to rely on the part-time spin of Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke to complement a four-pronged pace attack.

MacGill’s decision will also heighten speculation Shane Warne could make a shock international comeback with Australia’s spinning stocks particularly thin.

Warne, who took 708 Test wickets before retiring early last year, suggested last month he would consider a Test return for next year’s Ashes series if MacGill was unavailable and if he was approached by captain Ricky Ponting.

The 38-year-old has just led his Indian Premier League side the Rajasthan Royals to the inaugural title in the Twenty20 competition after victory in the final against Chennai today.

Warne’s retirement was expected to give MacGill the opportunity to be Australia’s No.1 spinner for the final few years of his career, but injuries unfortunately intervened.

The New South Welshman claimed his 200th Test wicket against Sri Lanka early last summer.

But after struggling with injury during that two-Test series, he decided to rule himself out of the following Indian Test series and undergo surgery to correct carpal-tunnel syndrome in his wrist.

His return in the Caribbean has been well below his best, with MacGill flattered by his match figures of 4-143 in the first Test at Sabina Park.

He again bowled poorly late on day two in Antigua, taking 0-31 from seven overs.

“When I was injured at the start of last summer I spent a great deal of time thinking about what cricket meant to me,” MacGill said in a statement.

“Unfortunately now my time is up.

“One of the treats for a bowler playing Test cricket is that you have a champion bowling up the other end.

“Bowling with some of crickets all time greats such as Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee has made my job a lot easier.

“I want to be sure that exciting young bowlers like Mitchell Johnson enjoy the same privilege.

“As I said many times last summer, there is no way I will ever walk onto a cricket field unless I can guarantee that I can dismiss top order batsmen consistently.

“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.”

Before the start of the third day of the Test in Antigua, MacGill had taken 207 wickets at an average of 28.28 and with a best bowling of 8-108.

He made his Test debut against South Africa in Adelaide during the 1998 season, but despite a superb record in Tests has largely lived in the shadow of Warne.

MacGill is yet to decide whether to continue playing domestically for NSW.

Cricket Australia said they would not be sending a player to replace MacGill in the squad.

FACTBOX ON STUART MACGILL

Born: Feb 25, 1971, Perth
Full name: Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill
Teams: Australia, Devon, NSW, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Western Australia
First-class debut: 1993/94
Test debut: Australia v South Africa, Adelaide, Jan 30-Feb 3, 1998
ODI debut: Australia v Pakistan, Sydney, Jan 19, 2000

Test record (Before start of second Test v West Indies)
M Runs HS Avg Wkts Avg BB 5w/i 10w/m
43 349 43 9.69 207 28.28 8-108 12 2

One Day International record
M Runs HS Avg Wkts Avg BB 4w/i 5w/i
3 1 1 1.00 6 17.50 4-19 1 0

First-class record
M Runs HS Avg Wkts Avg BB 5w/i 10w/m
183 1536 57 9.90 773 30.29 8-108 43 6

Where MacGill stands in Australia and International Test cricket

Most Wickets
Australia 12th. World 61st.

Best strike-rate
Australia 15th.

Best average (min 2000 balls)
Australia 44th.

Fastest to:
50 wickets: Aust 7th. World 16th.
100 wickets: Aust 4th. World 20th.
150 wickets: Aust 4th. World 8th.
200 wickets: Aust 3rd. World 5th.