Exclusive: Shaun Marsh shares insight on retirement call

Shaun Marsh announced his retirement from professional cricket after hitting three half-centuries in five matches during his last BBL appearance. The timing of his decision seemed off, given the form he was in. He was one of the stars of Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League and decided to hang up his boots after last season, in which, the Renegades finished seventh on the points table.

Opening up on his retirement, Marsh noted that the moment he touched 40, his body started giving up as he couldn’t train at the same level. The former cricketer also spoke about the privilege he had while playing cricket for such a long period and added that he enjoyed his time in the middle and was proud of the longevity he had.

“I think once I hit 40, I thought maybe that was the right time to finish up. Yeah, look, I think for me, my body started playing a few tricks on me and I couldn't sort of train to the level that I probably needed to train at to play at this level. To get to 40 was something that I was really proud of,” Marsh told CricTracker.

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“I think I first started playing professional cricket as a 17-year-old kid, if I said to myself that I'd still be playing as a professional at 40, I probably would have laughed. I've really enjoyed my career and the longevity of my career. It's something that I'm very proud of,” he added.

Marsh is currently playing for Australia Champions in the ongoing World Championship of Legends. He has been very effective at the top of the order, amassing 170 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 140.49. The opener has been a key part of Australia’s success, helping the team qualify for the semi-final, where they will play India Champions on Friday, July 12. The final of the tournament will be played on July 14 in Birmingham.