West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons has retired from international cricket after 16 years in the sport, two days after fellow Trinidadian and former Windies teammate Denesh Ramdin made a similar announcement.
“I am closing this chapter of international cricket having played 144 matches and scoring 3,763 runs across all formats.” Simmons said in the announcement on Twitter on Monday.
“I still do extensive training and keep myself relatively fit, so my focus is to continue playing exclusive cricket for as long as my body allows. I hope I can continue to entertain the people of my region and around the world for a few more years as I am still timing the ball beautifully and beating the bowling.”
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The top-order batsman, who played for the West Indies in eight Tests, 68 ODIs and 68 T20Is, last represented the Caribbean side against South Africa in a group stage match at last year’s T20 World Cup .
He said he had given the game his all during his career.
“I never cheated the game; I gave 100 per cent hard work and that’s why I was able to play internationally for almost 16 years,” said Simmons who made his West Indies debut on December 7, 2006, in an ODI series against Pakistan in Faisalabad before playing his T20 and Test debuts in 2007 and 2009, respectively.
The right-handed batsman, right-arm medium-pacer and part-time all-rounder offered advice to young cricketers as he urged them not to be shy about dreaming big.
“I wish the young WI players all the best and keep believing in yourself and your abilities,” he said.
“It takes a lot of determination, focus and a strong mind to overcome the many obstacles, but it’s all worth it in the end.”
Simmons was part of the Windies’ 2012 and 2016 ICC T20 World Cup-winning teams and featured in the Caribbean Premier League, where he was the leading run-scorer with 2,629 runs that included 20 half-centuries from a total of 91 innings. He also took his talents to the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League and Abu Dhabi T10.
Of his total of 3,763 runs in international cricket, Lendl Simmons made 1,958 in ODIs, 1,527 in T20Is and 278 in Tests.
He expressed gratitude to the West Indies cricket team for the opportunities provided to him; and thanked his family and friends who were his “true motivators” and stood by him “when the odds were against me”, as well as his fans who cheered him on from the stands or via social media.
Last Friday, in an Instagram post, former West Indies captain Ramdin announced his retirement from international cricket but not from professional cricket as he said he will continue to play exclusive cricket around the world.
The striker said the last 14 years of his career “have been a dream come true”.
“I fulfilled my childhood dreams playing cricket for Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies,” he said.
Ramdin, who was also part of India’s T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016, played a total of 74 Tests, 139 ODIs and 71 T20Is for the West Indies.
He last played for the Caribbean side in a T20I in December 2019.
