Former Australia wicketkeeper Peter Nevill announces retirement from professional cricket

Former Australian wicketkeeper Peter Nevill has announced his retirement from professional cricket on Friday (April 1). Hailed as one of the finest glovemen in the country, Nevill has been out of action since a while. He hasn’t played any game since February this year amid a shoulder injury. Owing to the same, his tenure as a player comes to an end with New South Wales.

Meanwhile, Nevill burst onto the scenes in the 2015 Ashes series in England, wherein he scored a match-winning 45 on debut at Lord’s. He went on to play 16 more Tests, with his last appearance coming in November 2016 against South Africa in Hobart. Australia lost that series at home as Nevill’s inconsistency with the bat meant the Australian selectors dropped him.

I always knew that I was close to the end of my career: Peter Nevill

Interestingly, the 36-year-old never played ODI cricket but was a part of Australia’s squad for the 2016 T20 World Cup in India. While Nevill rues missing many important fixtures for New South Wales this season, he’s overall pretty satisfied with the way his career panned out.

“I always knew that I was close to the end of my career,” Nevill said. “It was a frustrating season for me, I think I’ve missed more games this season due to injury than the rest of my career combined. I’m very proud that I was able to play for Australia, and that I was able to play for such a long time for New South Wales,” he added.

Nevill further stated that he wasn’t highly talented but still managed to leave a significant mark with his limited skills. “I’d like to think that I was able to squeeze as much juice out of my orange as I could. For a bloke with minimal talent and no shots, I leave the game pretty content,” said Nevill.

“I’ve been fortunate to have played for as long as I have. It is hard to condense (my career) into something short and sweet,” he added. Meanwhile, Nevill ends his career with nearly 6000 First-Class runs and 391 catches. He has certainly left a legacy behind, finishing his career as one of NSW’s most-successful wicketkeeper-batters.