When is the right time to retire?

Australia’s cricketing dominance has officially come to an end after the team’s unexpected loss in the Ashes series at the Oval last weekend. But the writing had been on the wall long before their sudden drop in the ICC Test rankings after their series defeat.

It was a steady decline to say the least.

With all cricket fans around the world being familiar with the Aussies’ renowned blend of skill and good cricket brains to boot during their peak, all experts – and they include armchair critics – will probably concur on the subject as to why this demise was always in the offing.

The general conclusion among all and sundry around this demise, will be that the exodus from the Test arena of its top players and leading lights over the past few seasons has given impetus to the current state of affairs: an Ashes loss and a fourth place on the ICC Test rankings.

Of course, we as cricket fans are not privy to much of the information as to why players decide to retire. But the question has to be posed: Did the Australian players ride off into the sunset, so to speak, of their own accord, or was it a case of them being nudged into retirement?

We all are aware that the Aussies in general don’t attach much sentiment (with a few exceptions) when things are not going well with their cricketers on the field of play. That’s the opinion most of us who admire Aussie cricket hold anyway.

If you don’t perform, then well, there are others standing in line who are good enough to take your place. It pretty much was and still is the philosophy.

In my opinion, it’s not a bad approach at all. But then again it can’t be said that players like Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath, Hayden, to name but a few, were not at the top of their game when they called it quits.

So maybe it’s age that gets in the way of performance – the reflexes are no good anymore, being away from the family on tour gets a bit too much and so on. Thing is, we as fans don’t know the reasons actually – because the information isn’t really shared with us.

But then again, there are many players like the Husseys and the Bichels, who debuted almost or into their thirties. Now the question may be: Where are we going to with this argument?

For me anyhow, it was difficult to accept the fact that Steve Waugh had bowed out, so too Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath, MacGill, Haydos, Martyn, Langer, the former postman (can’t get to his name – now there was a canny left-arm tweaker, if there ever was one) when they did.

Or, was it simply a case of it being difficult to accept that these great players would not be seen gracing our cricket pitches anymore.

So what are exactly the events leading up to any player’s decision to quit the game?

Is it a decision made over time, OR is it a case of nudge nudge wink wink it’s time you packed up your kit and your coffin and think about life after cricket mate.

I think the Aussie public at large can be very hard on their players. Look what happened when talisman Haydos wasn’t batting well; the knives were out for him, quite clearly from sections of the cricket fraternity.

“Mr Cricket”, despite the slump in batting form, has managed to keep his spot until his century in a losing cause in the fifth Test.

Also, it’s a case of how the players get on (or not) with cricket’s hierarchy.

It’s a known fact that Warne did not get on with John Buchanan, he despised some of the training methods (“a coach is something that takes you to the park”, he is quoted as saying) and together with the leg-spinning feats, came an outspoken character.

Did he have to retire at the time he did, or was he just tired by it all.

The clashes, the unrelenting pressure of not getting the captaincy? Haydos felt the pressure too – and thank goodness when he did finally feel the urge to call it quits as the knives closed in on him, he was given the send-off he deserved.

The question is the timing of the retirements. There’s just a feeling that the retirements of all these recent greats have come like a flood.

There are now similar murmurings around Brett Lee. How long before he too calls it quits in the face of outside pressure. Yep, injuries have affected his form, but he is a better player than the injuries allow him to be. So I would say and it’s only my opinion, that Australia’s frenzied cricket fraternity (that includes, officials, players, fans, the media etc) should pipe-down their inclination to “push” players into retirement.

It should be a systematic process that allows youth and experience to blend in the same team, before the reins are finally handed over to the future.

There may be points of difference I know to my argument, but there is in my opinion a subtleness to how (certain) players are bowing out of Australian cricket.

If better handled Australia would certainly not be ensconced at number four on the ICC Test rankings today.