Shaun Tait, the Australian fast bowler, has announced his retirement from one-day cricket following his side's quarter-final exit at the World Cup, but will continue to play the Twenty20 format."I have decided to retire from one-day cricket for both Australia and the South Australian Redbacks," Tait, 28, said. "This is not a decision I have taken lightly but I believe it is one that will help me to prolong my cricketing career through the many Twenty20 avenues available. In reality, playing all year round for Australia and South Australia is not allowing my body to stand up as I would like and I do not want to be forced into retirement through career-ending injuries."
"Twenty20 cricket allows me to manage my body to a level where I feel I can continue to contribute to the game for some time yet. My goal was to hopefully help Australia retain the ICC Cricket World Cup. However, with our involvement now finished I feel it is the perfect time to move on in a new direction.
"I have many great memories of one-day cricket both for my state and country, with the 2007 World Cup obviously being the stand out. Being a member of a team containing so many legends of the game was a true highlight of my cricketing career, while any match a person plays for his country or state is truly an honour not to be taken lightly. Cricket Australia has been very supportive of me over the years and again have accepted the decision I have made. I am very thankful for all they have done and I now look forward to the next phase of my career."
Tait made his Test debut in 2005, but it was soon apparent that his bowling style that was based on all-out pace would not favour a long Test career. Prolonged injuries kept him out of action for considerable periods of time, but he returned to play a significant role in Australia's World Cup defence in 2007. In January 2008 he took an indefinite break from the game due to physical and emotional exhaustion, after having played the last of his three Tests. He returned to Australia's limited-overs sides later that year, and impressed with short, sharp bursts of raw pace.
As a late addition to Australia's one-day squad in 2010, he unleashed a ball against England at Lord's that registered at 161.1kph, the second-fastest of all-time, but it has been the consistent push for speed that has crippled him regularly. He was an integral member of the Australian side that reached the World Twenty20 final in 2010, but wasn't at his best in the 2011 World Cup.
"Shaun has been an important contributor to Australia's short form cricket over the last few years," Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's general manager, said. "Bowling at the speeds he generates places an unusual strain on his body and Cricket Australia respects the decision he makes today."
Jamie Cox, the SACA director of cricket, echoed Brown's views. "Shaun has been a great player since he made his first class debut for South Australia in 2002-03, and has since gone on to bowl some of the fastest deliveries ever seen on Adelaide Oval," Cox said. "We support his decision to retire, and it is good to know we will still have him around for our Twenty20 campaigns, particularly in this year's Champions League Twenty20 tournament."
Tait will next be seen in action at IPL 2011, where he will once again turn out for the Rajasthan Royals franchise. The tournament begins on April 8.
