Matthew Kelly retires from professional cricket after 10-year WA career

Western Australia and Perth Scorchers fast bowler Matthew Kelly announced his retirement from professional cricket on August 7, drawing the curtain on a 10-year career that produced six domestic titles. Recent injury struggles contributed to his decision to step away from the game.

The 31-year-old has played 54 times in the Sheffield Shield and 29 times in the One-Day Cup for WA, while also playing 39 games for the Scorchers across six seasons. Born in Durban, South Africa, he relocated to Perth at the age of four and developed into one of the most decorated domestic cricketers the state has produced.

"Walking through the WACA Ground gates for the first time, I could never imagine where, or how far, the game would take me. It quickly became my favourite place to be, and like so many fortunate enough to spend time there, it became a home away from home, and one that I loved," Kelly said in a post shared on Instagram.

"Across the past 10 seasons, Matt has been an outstanding contributor on and off the field. Matt has delivered many exceptional performances for both WA and Perth Scorchers and has played an integral role in the recent run of success across all formats," WA high-performance manager Kade Harvey said in a club statement.

What did Matthew Kelly achieve across his domestic career?

Kelly's path to state cricket began at Claremont-Nedlands, where he was part of the side that claimed the WA Premier Cricket T20 title in 2014-15. That form earned him a place on the WA rookie list for the 2016-17 season, and the 193 cm tall fast bowler went on to collect six domestic trophies in total.

Those honours included three One-Day Cups in 2019-20, 2021-22 and 2022-23, two Sheffield Shields in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and the 2022-23 Big Bash League title. His contribution to ending Western Australia's 23-year Sheffield Shield drought in 2021-22 was significant, and he backed that up with 35 wickets at 15.77 during the 2022-23 title defence, finishing with 4-41 in the second innings of the final against Victoria.

Kelly ends his Shield career with 172 wickets for Western Australia. In his final Shield season, he claimed 21 wickets at an average of 19.33 across four matches, with returns of 5-43 against New South Wales and 6-49 against Tasmania standing out. He also received the Excalibur Award on three separate occasions, an honour presented to the WA men's player who best embodies team values and a positive squad culture.

In the BBL, Kelly finished with 55 wickets across six seasons, 25 of them coming during the championship campaigns in 2021-22 and 2022-23. In the 2022-23 final against the Brisbane Heat, he removed Max Bryant and Michael Neser to finish with 2-37. He departs fifth on the Perth Scorchers' all-time BBL wickets list, behind Andrew Tye (159), Jason Behrendorff (148), Jhye Richardson (113) and Ashton Agar (73).

What is the immediate impact of Kelly's retirement on WA and Perth Scorchers?

Kelly had already stepped back from his Western Australia state contract for the 2026-27 season in April 2026, stating at the time that he wanted to concentrate on limited-overs cricket. His last List A appearance was for Western Australia against Victoria at the WACA on February 21, 2026, while his final T20 outing for the Scorchers came against the Melbourne Renegades in Perth on January 7, 2025.

His departure leaves both the WA Sheffield Shield squad and the Perth Scorchers without one of their more experienced pace-bowling options heading into the 2026-27 domestic season. The club is yet to confirm a replacement for Kelly.