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Injured Kiwi pacer Bond retires from Test cricket | Black Caps fast bowler Shane Bond has announced his
retirement from Test cricket, but will remain available for New Zealand in one-day and Twenty20 internationals. Bond, 34, was forced to withdraw from the recent
Test series against Pakistan after tearing an abdominal muscle in the first Test.
After further assessment, medical advice is that the injury will require more
time than expected to heal. Making the announcement today, Bond said it had been
a difficult decision. "The hardest thing is that I've always considered myself
a test bowler - and it was such a great feeling to be back in the team last month
and playing test match cricket with the Black Caps," the NZPA quoted him, as saying.
"I've worked really hard to get back to test match fitness - it's what I've been
working towards for the past two years - and I feel I gave as much as I could.
But looking back, so many of my injuries have come during test cricket. Unfortunately
my body just won't let me continue to play at that level, given the workload and
demands of Test cricket," he added. "I don't want to end on an injury and I am
absolutely committed to playing for the Black Caps. This way I hope I've got a
better chance of continuing to play. I hope I'll be able to continue to contribute
to the team and to New Zealand cricket fans for a while yet. It's been a tough
call, because test cricket remains the ultimate form of the game - but I'm comfortable
I've made the right choice," he further said. Bond said he was now focusing on
being fit for the Black Caps' limited overs matches against Australia, which start
with two Twenty20 internationals in late February. He said his recovery from injury
was progressing well. He aims to be playing club cricket by late January, and
hopes to play some one-day games for Canterbury in February. Bond finishes his
test career in the top ten current international test bowlers - he is currently
ranked ninth in the ICC test bowling rankings. He has played 18 tests for New
Zealand since making his debut against Australia in November 2001. He has taken
87 test wickets, at an average of 22.09. His best test bowling came against Zimbabwe
in 2005, taking six for 51. He has taken five wickets in an innings on five occasions
- the most recent against Pakistan in Dunedin last month. |
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