England pacer Harry Gurney announces his retirement from all formats
On Friday, England’s left-arm pacer Harry Gurney has called it a day from all formats of the game, having represented England 12 times in the international scene. During his time with Nottinghamshire, the 34-year-old picked up 614 wickets across the formats in the English county.
Having made his debut for the Three Lions in 2014, Harry Gurney emerged as one of the best left-arm pacers in England, with his variations to confuse the batsmen. He went on to represent England in 12 international games, with 10 ODIs and 2 T20Is before calling it a day from all formats of the game.
It was in Nottinghamshire, where he popped off, with 310 First-Class wickets for the county, in just 175 innings, at an average of 30.55. But in the T20s format, he showed his exceptional talent with 190 wickets which led to gigs away from England in various global T20 competitions, including the IPL, where he played for Kolkata Knight Riders.
During his 12-year career, the left-arm pacer has represented Melbourne Renegades, Quetta Gladiators, Kolkata Knight Riders, Barbados Tridents and Leicestershire in the shortest format, where he has made a living for himself.
“The time has arrived for me to hang up my boots,” Gurney said.
“After trying to recover from the recent injury to my shoulder, I am truly disappointed to have to end my playing career as a result of it. From the first time I picked up a cricket ball at the age of ten, I was completely obsessed. Cricket has been my life for 24 years and has taken me on an incredible journey that I will cherish forever,” he added.
Earlier last year, an injury ruled him out of the T20 competition, which also has eventually led to him making a decision to move away from the game.
“Playing for England, in the IPL and winning eight trophies at home and abroad including the Blast, Big Bash and CPL has exceeded my wildest dreams I always prepared for leaving cricket and I have discovered a new path in business that gives me the same excitement that I felt when I discovered the game all those years ago,” he continued.
“That is a path I will now go down with immediate effect, as I have found this injury recovery too much of a mountain to climb. There have been so many big influences on my career; Dan Christian, Mick Newell, Andrew Macdonald, Wayne Noon, Andy Pick, Pete Moores and Tom Harwood to name just a few,” he added.