Since his International debut in 2006, Kevin O’Brien, the most capped player in Ireland, has served the squad for almost 15 years and has been the main man behind many notable victories.
All-rounder Kevin O’Brien made 153 ODI and 110 T20I appearances for Ireland besides playing three Tests. Image credit: Twitter/@Irelandcricket
Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on Tuesday.
O’Brien penned down a long note to bid adieu to the game and shared it on his Twitter handle with a caption that reads, “Thanks.” In the statement, he has thanked each and every individual who had been a constant support during his playing days.
Since his International debut in 2006, Ireland’s most-capped cricketer has been part of the squad for almost 15 years and has been the main man behind many of the team’s notable victories.
The Twitter announcement has grabbed the attention of cricket enthusiasts around the globe. They have wished him luck for his journey ahead following numerous comments.
According to his statement, O’Brien had hoped to retire after the 2022 T20 World Cup. But the lack of chances to feature for Ireland in the recent past has made him hang his boots early. He made his last international appearance in the T20 World Cup 2021 first-round game against Namibia in Sharjah in October 2021.
“I feel that the selectors and management are looking elsewhere,” he added.
The 38-year-old also thanked the coaches under whom he flourished. The special mention saw ‘Adi’ Birrel who was Ireland’s coach in his debut year. He has also marked his gratitude for Phil Simmons who played a pivotal role in the improvement of Ireland’s standing in world cricket. Notably, O’Brien has played for as long as eight years under his coaching.
O’Brien also thanked his family members including elder brother, Niall O’Brien with whom he has shared the Ireland dressing room for 12 years.
While talking about his future plans, O’Brien has revealed that he is looking forward to focusing on his own coaching academy in Ireland and hoping for some exciting opportunities in near future.
“I also want to continue to gain coaching experience overseas and hopefully will have more opportunities with some international and professional sides in the near future,” he wrote at the end of his statement.
During his decorated career, O’Brien played 3 Tests, 152 ODIs and 103 T20Is for Ireland and recorded a total of 258 runs, 3,619 runs and 1,973 runs respectively. In his brief Test career, he became the first Ireland cricketer to score a century in red-ball cricket. His most exciting outing was the 2011 World Cup match against England where he stunned the world by smashing a ton in just 50 balls. It marks the fastest in any World Cup game till date. The medium-pacer also has 114 ODI wickets and 58 T20I wickets to his name.
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