Grant Elliott announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Former New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday, bringing an end to a career spanning 22 years.

Former New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday, bringing an end to a career spanning 22 years.

Elliott called it quits after his side, the Birmingham Bears failed to reach the knockout stages of the T20 Blast. The all-rounder, who was leading the Bears for the last few years in the T20 Blast, announced his retirement on Instagram.

"Started in Johannesburg finished in Birmingham," he wrote on Instagram. "I remember being 12 and writing down my life goals. To play in a World Cup, play international cricket and play county cricket. 27 years on and I have loved every minute of it.

"Thanks to all the memorable people I have met that have made this journey special. To family and friends who have given me unwavering support despite all the sacrifices, I have had to make that have impacted them.

 

Started in Johannesburg finished in Birmingham. I remember being 12 and writing down my life goals. To play in a World Cup, play international cricket and play county cricket. 27 years on and I have loved every minute of it. Thanks to all the memorable people I have met that have made this journey special. To family and friends who have given me unwavering support despite all the sacrifices I have had to make that have impacted them. This game is a special one but it doesn’t define us. Looking forward to the future with great excitement and sharing a drink with those selfless players I shared a change room with.

A post shared by Grant Elliott (@grantelliottnz) on Aug 21, 2018 at 11:22am PDT

Elliott had bid adieu to international cricket in March last year. He had started his first-class career in South Africa but moved to New Zealand in 2001 and went on to represent Canterbury and Wellington.

He made his international debut in an ODI against England in 2008 and went on to represent New Zealand in, 5 Tests, 83 ODIs and 17 T20Is. Elliott scored 1976 runs at a healthy average of 34 and picked up 39 wickets in his ODI career. He will be remembered for his match-winning innings of 84* in the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final against South Africa.