Aiden Blizzard puts family ahead to announce retirement

The swashbuckling left-handed Australian batsman Aiden Blizzard has decided to retire from all the formats with immediate effect. He was known as one of the best T20 players going around in the country and came into the limelight after hitting a whopping 130-metre which went out of the WACA ground and into the practice nets. he was part of the 5 title-winning squads in Big Bash League (BBL), the latest being with Sydney Thunders in the fifth edition of the T20 tournament.

He also had the privilege to open the innings with the legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar in the now-defunct Champions League when he represented Mumbai Indians (MI), the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Though he played 21 first-class and 40 Lia A matches for his State, his real shot at the professional career was in the T20s in which he went on to play 98 games and ended his career with a strike-rate of 132.57.

What is the reason for retirement?

Aiden Blizzard now wants to give some time to his family and wants to explore more career opportunities other than cricket. “I’ve played cricket for 15 years, 10 of those on the road, that’s where the decision has come from. I’ve got two units of my MBA to finish, while I look to support my wife’s business. I gave cricket a good crack and I loved it, but now it’s time to be a family man and look for opportunities outside of playing professionally,” he was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

The 33-year-old also relished his memories of playing against Jacques Kallis and praised the legendary Michael Hussey who was also the part of Thunder squad when they won the title in 2016.

“I’d played a lot against Jacques Kallis in the IPL and Champions League but didn’t really know him. We went on to have a great relationship and we still keep in touch now. Usman Khawaja really stood up in the final but everyone made a contribution during the tournament that year, it was something very special. There’s no doubt we’ve missed Mike Hussey since he retired, he brought the best out of people and it’s hard to imagine that any team would be able to replace a Mike Hussey,” Blizzard added.

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