Former Test batsman Ed Cowan has announced his immediate retirement from first-class cricket with Tasmania.
The news comes less than a month after the NSW-born 32-year-old signed on for another 12 months with the Tigers, indicating that he still had ambitions to represent Australia.
Cowan will still be available to play for New South Wales, having played this season in the Sydney Grade competition with Sydney University.
Despite scoring four centuries in the first half of the Sheffield Shield season with Tasmania, and two half centuries since Christmas, Cowan has decided to pull the pin on his career with the Tigers.
He played his last Test match in Australia’s unsuccessful Ashes tour in 2013, and was dropped after the first game.
Cowan has not returned to the squad since, only getting one opportunity during Darren Lehmann’s time as coach.
He played 18 Test matches for Australia, making 1001 Test runs at an average of just over 31.
Cowan also commentated during Australia’s Test summer on ABC Grandstand’s radio coverage.
His loss is a big blow to the Tigers, who have lost all four Sheffield Shield games since the resumption of the competition after the Big Bash League.
An emotional Cowan cited family reasons for his decision to leave the Tigers, who have just one Sheffield Shield fixture remaining for the season, versus Victoria in Alice Springs.
He told reporters it had been a mistake to sign on for another year and the decision has been playing on his mind and impacting on his playing form.
“It’s time to be a family man who plays cricket rather than a cricketer with a family,” he said.
“And that’s a very hard decision to make when cricket has been your number one priority for 15 years, but times change.”
Cowan, his wife and young daughter will move to Sydney and the left-hander said he hasn’t given any thought to his cricketing future.
“I still desire to play Test cricket but there’s a realisation that might have gone and it’s family first from here,” he said.
“I might end up playing club cricket for Sydney Uni next year and that’s the only cricket I play.”
Cowan said he’s had no contact with NSW Cricket, who he said are a strong unit.
“Let it settle, have a break and I’m sure it will come to me, what’s going to happen from there.”
With AAP
Dave
Guest
So was Copeland! He might need it more than Cowan, who would have a huge future in business.
Ross Fleming
Roar Rookie
Yeah reading between the lines what Brettig published it was obvious that Cowan was the third player who caused the issues for the homework saga, we can do without a guy like him in the Aussie team.
Red Kev
Guest
I hope he goes into radio commentary, he was excellent on Grandstand this summer.
Don Freo
Guest
Geez people can find conspiracy theories. Why does drunken pub gobbledekook get repeated as fact. It's an English thing to do. This is a great Australlian game. Don't demean it with tabloid gossip. Phil, get out of the pub and go home.
Johnno
Guest
Patrick do you live in Tasmania, and play grade cricket there. I hear the Tassie comp is quite good, and it's split into the Hobart grade comp, and the Northern Tasmanian association grade comp.
Johnny Boy Jnr
Guest
Wow Patrick you play first grade cricket ! Congratulations !!!!
Phil
Guest
CA to go downhill if Ed runs it, please keep him away, Caters and Agar though are smart guys
The Bush
Roar Guru
I don't know about any of the insider goss etc, but it is frustrating to think that the selectors persisted with Cowan for 19 games straight whilst other, younger, talent only got a handful of games straight. Not that this is Cowan's fault, but rather I think that the instability of the team has been ridiculous in the last few years and that it is no coincidence that as soon as we backed Smith and Warner for extended runs they came good...
Phil
Guest
Agreed Perry, for far too long we overlooked guys in favour of Cowan and Rogers was one who we could have got in at least a year earlier had Arthur not consistently favored Cowan, Cowan should have focused on getting runs rather then give a kangaroo gift to Arthur. My worse complain against him is that he divided the team as I am certain he was the guy Brettig refers to as confirming to Arthur as punishing the guys who didn't give the homework assignment as his own position was under threat in the team, thankfully Boof and new selectors got rid of him quickly and we have never looked back with Rogers and Warner at the fore, also Cowan robbed my favorite batsman in Hughes of many games too.
Brett McKay
Expert
All the initial reports had him retiring with immediate effect, mate, not necessarily this one. But even with this one, he's still available for Tassie's last game, he just admits himself that he'd pick a player who will be there next year. So he hasn't really retired from FC cricket, he's just moving home and somewhat resigned to maybe not playing again..
Don Freo
Guest
I would have thought they'd have you in the power position at slip, Patrick.
Don Freo
Guest
Ed will probably be running CA in a year or two. Along with Ryan Carters and Ashton Agar, they have the smarts to rule the universe. Bright boys.
Patrick Effeney
Editor
Where does it say in the report he retired from FC cricket? And yes he played Grade Cricket this year. I was fielding at mid off while he was batting... #Scoop
Perry Bridge
Guest
also at a time when Rogers was being unfairly looked over.
Brett McKay
Expert
That makes more sense Dingo...
Brett McKay
Expert
Assuming NSW contract him Phil. If he earns a spot on runs alone, then good luck to him. But he is one of the leading run-scorers in Shield cricket this year, so from a cricketing point of view, I'd imagine NSW would give him serious thought. Especially since some of their younger bats have been rather inconsistent this season. Younger isn't necessarily better..
DingoGray
Roar Guru
He played Grade Cricket in Sydney during the Big Bash as a lot of the interstate players did. Pretty poor release from CA. If I was Cowan I'd be filthy!
Phil
Guest
You are right Brett, he hasn't retired but simply left Tasmania which means that unfortunately he could take the spot of some young batsman in NSW
Tutto
Guest
Ed also played for Sydney Uni this year, during the Big Bash season - http://www.sydneygrade.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?matchID=1853732&entityID=4
Phil
Guest
To be honest I will always remember Cowan as the test batsman who got too many chances, he had 19 tests in a row thanks mainly to favoritism from Arthur and still wasn't able to capitalise his spot all when we could have established the likes of Hughes, Khawaja or Marsh in the side. I also think reading between the lines that he had a bit to do with the disunity created when the homework saga happened as Cowan always seemed like those guys in the office which compliains to management about othre colleagues just to go ahead but unfortunately for him his game is not good enough