The West Indies batting maestro finally bid adieu to international cricket at the age of 41 after serving West Indies cricket for 22 years. The batting legend retired as second highest run scorer for West Indies cricket just 86 runs behind Brain Lara.
He played 164 Test matches over 22 years scoring 11,867 runs and 268 One day internationals for 8778 runs. He scored 30 hundreds in Test Matches and 11 in ODI format making him one of the most consistent run scorer in international cricket.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul last played for West Indies in a Test match against England on 1st May 2015 and after that disappointing series he was dropped from the team and never got a chance to play for his country again. Chanderpaul was also not considered in the list of 15 players handed annual contracts by the WICB in December. West Indies selection panel had ignored him for various series despite West Indies problems in the batting order in the recent past. He played his last match for his domestic side Guyana in the semi-final match of Nagico Super 50 one day tournament.
The WICB president Dave Cameron said,” Chanderpaul formally notified the board “in an email that he will no longer be available for selection for West Indies”. “The WICB acknowledges the invaluable contribution Shiv has made to the game globally, and we wish him all the best.”
VVS Laxman – “Congrats Shiv Chanderpaul on an exceptional career. Had a gr8 appetite to score big 100’s esp against India. Hav a fulfilling retirement.”
One big reason behind his retirement may be his concerns over participation in the recent Master Champions League (MCL), recently WICB has showed his concerns over participation of non-retired players in the league. All players participating in the league were required to get an NOC from their respective board that they have retired from all forms of cricket. This reason may have played an important part in his decision to retire from all forms of cricket. Chanderpaul was due to play for Gemini Arabians in the tournament; he was signed for $30,000.
Chanderpaul was not as high profile cricketers as Lara or Gayle but he was known for his unorthodox stance, determination and his ability to bat for longer periods.
Tags: International Cricket, Legend, Master Champions League, MCL, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, VVS Laxman, West Indies, WICB