Carlisle announces retirement

Zimbabwe’s Stuart Carlisle has decided to quit International cricket, due to the politics involved in the national game.

Carlisle, 33, expressed disgust at the institution of the sport in Zimbabwe, and stated to the media that he is “fed up”. A veteran of 33 Tests and 111 One Day Internationals, Carlisle scored almost 4400 runs (1615 @ 26.91 in Tests, and 2740 @ 27.67 in ODIs) for his country.

He made his Test debut in 1995, in Zimbabwe’s first ever Test match victory, and played his final Test in August of this year, as Zimbabwe lost to Zealand by an innings and 46 runs.

Carlisle joins Heath Streak and Craig Wishart as the latest players to turn their backs on International cricket. He leaves as the only Zimbabwean to score a hundred against Australia in both forms of the game.