 New Zealand pace bowler Shane Bond has decided to hang up his boots from
the Test match format of the game. He announced his decision to retire from the
test matches, and continue playing in the ODIs and the T20Is in order to prolong
his career. Bond had been injured and was struggling to make a comeback thanks
to sore back.
Bond was a part of the Kiwi team which won the first Test match against Pakistan
recently. He was awarded the man of the match award for his brilliant performance
in the game, and without him, the Kiwi side struggled in the second game. However,
with the injuries hurting his chances of continuing to play for the national
side, it was a decision which was a long time coming.
After being injured, he had announced he would be considering quitting the
game and needed some time-out to give it a think. Earlier, Bond had been out
of international cricket when he joined the unauthorised Indian Cricket League.
This meant that while he wanted to play international cricket, his national
board, like many of the others, had banned him from doing so.
However, two years down the line, with the ICL almost shutting shop, Bond returned
back to the New Zealand fold and was awarded with an immediate place
in the side.
Bond has said that the most difficult aspect of his announcement is that he
always considered himself a fast bowler in test matches and to give up on the
same would be extremely hard. He also said that his body was not able to meet
up with the demands of Test match cricket, and hence the decision had to be
taken regarding it. He added, "I've worked really hard to get back to Test
match fitness - it's what I've been working towards for the past two years -
and I feel I gave as much as I could."
The CEO of New Zealand Cricket, Justin Vaughan, has said that he empathised
with his decision. He said that Bond has shown a never-say-die attitude in his
play and despite being disappointed, they were with Bond in his decision to
quit.
He added, "He remains one of the best fast bowlers in the international
game and we're delighted that he's doing all he can to keep playing."
This will also mean that Bond joins Andrew Flintoff as the other bowler
who has quit from Test matches to concentrate only on the shorter format of
the game.
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