Irish Batsman Kevin O’Brien Withdraws From ODI Cricket

Irish Batsman Kevin O’Brien Withdraws From ODI Cricket

Irish Batsman Kevin O’Brien Withdraws From ODI Cricket
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Ireland’s star batsman Kevin O’Brien has announced his retirement from ODI cricket.

The 37-year-old finishes his ODI career with 3619 runs and two centuries, which includes the famous 113 against England in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

O’Brien will now focus on T20 cricket, in the hope of adding to the three-Test caps he has to date.

The batsman released a statement saying: “After 15 years playing for Ireland, I feel now is the right time to step away and retire from ODI cricket. It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country 153 times and the memories I take from them will last a lifetime.”

“This has not been an easy decision, but after ongoing consideration, I don’t feel I can contribute to the ODI team as much as I have in the past. The hunger and love for the ODI format is no longer the same as it was and it wouldn’t be fair to Andrew, Graham, the team and our supporters to continue to play while no longer feeling at 100%,” he added.

“I’ve had some unbelievable moments with the team since 2006 – the three World Cups, the personal successes and spending time travelling and playing all over the world, but I will now shift my focus and remain fully committed to T20 cricket – with two world cups in the next 18 months – and hoping to add to my three caps in Test cricket,” said Kevin O’Brien.

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Moreover, he played in three World Cups, his most famous hour a record-breaking 113 in the 2011 ICC World Cup against England.

Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland Men’s captain, said: “We’re losing a big figure in our ODI squad – someone who has played over 150 ODIs for Ireland and has been there since the very first one in 2006. He’s someone a lot of us in the team, and many who have gone before us, have looked up to.”

“We’re losing a big personality in the ODI squad, and a really good friend, but this is not the end of Kevin O’Brien and I look forward to seeing what he can do in the other two formats,” he added.

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