Steven Finn retires at age of 34; seamer played 126 games for England between 2010 and 2017, including 36 Tests; Finn was part of three-Ashes winning squads; paceman played domestically for Middlesex and Sussex
Monday 14 August 2023 11:10, UK
Former England fast bowler Steven Finn has announced his retirement from cricket at the age of 34.
Sussex seamer Finn, who has been struggling with a knee injury of late, played 126 games for England across the formats between 2010 and 2017, taking 254 wickets.
He claimed 125 scalps in 36 Tests, with a best of 6-79 against Australia at Edgbaston during the 2015 Ashes, and a further 129 in 90 white-ball internationals.
Finn was part of Ashes-winning squads at home in 2013 and 2015 and also in Australia in 2010/11 as England won the urn overseas for the first time since 1986/87.
The paceman was ranked as high as number two in the ICC ODI bowling standings and number five in the T20 international rankings.
Finn began his domestic career with Middlesex and spent 17 years at Lord's, winning the 2016 County Championship.
He switched to Sussex ahead of the 2022 season and played his final match for the Hove county earlier this month against Durham in the One-Day Cup.
Finn said in a statement: "Today I am retiring from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. I have been fighting a battle with my body for the last 12 months and have admitted defeat to it.
"I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to play cricket as my vocation since I made my debut for Middlesex in 2005. The journey hasn't always been smooth, but I have loved it nonetheless.
"To have played 125 games for England, including 36 Tests, far surpassed what I dreamed of. I want to thank Sussex Cricket for their support over the last 12 months especially and for welcoming me wholeheartedly into the club at the beginning of last season.
"It really is a great place to play cricket and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to play more of a part on the field since joining the club.
"I retire with some amazing memories with England, Middlesex and Sussex, shared with fantastic people. Those will live with me forever.
"Thank you to all the people who have followed and supported my career, especially my parents who allowed me to chase my dream when I was a youngster.
"Cricket has given me a lot and I hope to give back to the game in some capacity in the future. But, for now, I'll enjoy watching on without wondering whether my body will be able to make it through another day's cricket. Thank you."
