Maher quits Aussie cricket

Jimmy Maher in action for Glamorgan © Getty Images

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Former Australia batsman Jimmy Maher has announced his retirement from Australian domestic cricket.

The 2003 World Cup winner will play his last game for Queensland in their Pura Cup match against South Australia, which begins in Adelaide on Friday.

Maher, who turns 34 on Wednesday, had previously indicated he wished to continue playing for another season, but the recent decisions of close friends Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Kasprowicz to retire prompted Maher to start thinking about his own future.

A choked Maher stumbled as he read from a prepared statement, the tears flowing as he announced his intention to draw the curtain on a career which featured more than 150 first-class games for Queensland plus 26 one-day internationals.

He said: “You toss and turn. I haven't really slept a lot in the last week.

“It's such a dear thing to me. The thought of never wearing the maroon cap again just doesn't sit well with me and it probably won't for a long time.”

Maher's own form has been patchy this season but he vowed to remember his 14 good seasons which preceded 2007/08, which included six four-day titles highlighted by the Bulls’ first ever success in 1995.

Maher brings up a Queensland landmark © Getty Images

“You've got to move on and I think it's for the right reasons,” he said.

“Down the track we'll see the benefits of that. The legacy that's been built up over the last 10 or 15 years, I'm sure that won't be forgotten.”

He added: "It's something I've not looked forward to and it was never going to be easy. I'm glad it's over. I could do with a cold beer.”

However, Maher might not have given up playing completely.

The left-hander, who played at Glamorgan last season, left the door ajar for offers from the Indian Twenty20 leagues by saying he would assess every opportunity coming his way.

Maher's career will come full circle when he starts his swansong appearance against South Australia this Friday.

His first game for Queensland in 1993/94 was against the Redbacks and now, 154 matches later, the left-hander needs just 99 runs to become just the second player to score 10,000 first-class runs for the state after Martin Love.

Queensland Cricket chairman Damien Mullins said: "He's been a great warrior for Queensland on and off the field.

"His passion and his commitment, his single-mindedness and his intensity have been perhaps matched by a few who've worn that maroon cap over a long period of time, but certainly exceeded by none."