Published: May 24, 2017, 06:59 PM (IST)
Edited: May 24, 2017, 07:18 PM (IST)
Ireland batsman Ed Joyce has announced his retirement from English county cricket with immediate effect. The former Sussex captain has made this decision to focus energies on the dream of playing Test cricket for Ireland. Joyce is one of those cricketers who have represented two countries in international cricket. He represented England in 17 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) between 2006 and 2007, playing in the World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean. Later, he re-qualified for his native country Ireland in 2011 and since then, has been an integral part of the Irish side. Joyce, now 38, wants to spend the remaining part of his career concentrating on playing Test cricket for Ireland.
Ireland are on the threshold of securing their long-coveted Test status, which may come to them next year in 2018. A decision on it could be made as soon as next month, at the ICC’s annual general meeting in June. Considering this, and of course his recent injuries, Joyce has made the decision of quitting English county cricket. “County cricket has been a huge part of my life for the last 18 years and it is with a tinge of sadness that I’ve decided not to play this season or beyond,” Joyce said.
“I fully intended on playing at least some cricket for Sussex in 2017 but the realities of my various injuries, alongside my playing commitments here in Ireland have meant that this isn’t possible.”
Joyce had originally said he would be available to play for Sussex on a cover basis this season, having been awarded a Category A player contract by Cricket Ireland, but a recent conversation with the club coach, Mark Davis, and captain, Luke Wright, led him to re-assess his priorities. “When Mark and Luke asked about my availability for the upcoming Championship games, I felt the best thing to do for me and the club was to retire from county cricket altogether so we could both move on,” he said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind I played my best cricket at Sussex and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the coaches, players, supporters and environment at the club that allowed me to do this. I’ll always feel like I’m coming home when I visit Hove in the future, which I plan to do as often as possible as a spectator,” said Joyce, who has scored over 8,000 First-Class runs for Sussex, averaging 49.39 and making 23 centuries in the process.
He will now focus on playing for Leinster in Ireland’s newly revamped domestic competition, and getting selected if Ireland are given the go-ahead to make their Test debut in 2018. “With the prospect of Test cricket and full membership potentially on the horizon, it’s an exciting time for Irish cricket and I want to play my part in this process as long as I feel I can contribute on the field.”
