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Shane Watson has retired from Test cricket effective immediately, admitting he doesn’t have ‘the fight’ in him to reclaim his spot in the Australian team.
Watson, who on Sunday was ruled out of the one-day series against England with another injury to his troublesome right calf, told teammates of his decision early the same morning.
It is the end to a disastrous winter for the luckless allrounder, who was dropped after the opening Ashes Test in Cardiff and forced to watch on as Australia meekly handed back the urn with a 3-2 series loss.
He admits the retirement thoughts began to surface during that difficult period. He then wrestled with them daily for a month before everything crystalised for him this week.
“For the last month or something it’s been something I’ve thought about a lot,” he said in London prior to boarding a flight home to Sydney.
“I’ve been through a lot of different waves of emotion as well, of what the right thing is for myself, my family and most importantly the team as well.
“Over the last couple of days there was a lot of clarity of what the right decision was.
“I just know that I’ve given everything I possibly can to get the best out of myself.
“I just know it’s the right time to move on.
“I don’t have that real fight in me, especially in Test cricket knowing the lengths physically I have to go through as well as mentally and technically to be at my best again in Test cricket.”
The 34-year-old will continue to play Twenty20 and one-day cricket and has his eye on the World T20 tournament in India in March next year.
Watson admits he retires as an unfulfilled talent but leaves Test cricket with 3731 runs, four centuries and 24 half centuries at an average of 35 as well as 75 wickets.
Watson picked up the calf injury while batting in Saturday’s controversial win over England at Lord’s.
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