Cricket: Body check for dad-to-be Mathieson after surgery

Andrew Mathieson says the greatest part of his stint with the CD Stags was travelling around the country with a great bunch of lads and sharing the love for the game. PHOTO/FILE

It's a retirement from cricket for one-match Black Caps seamer Andrew Mathieson but then ... maybe not.

"There's a difference. I'm not quitting cricket forever but just at the moment my left knee isn't right before the start of next season," says the Central Districts Stags cricketer after he played one first-class game, the first of last summer at domestic level, before hobbling off although his back gave him problems in the latter part of the season.

"I basically didn't want to take a contract off some other young guy and then I wouldn't have been right for the next half of the season, anyway," said the 27-year-old from his hometown of Hamilton last night.

Mathieson says his partner, Sarah, is expecting a baby daughter in September so that made his decision easier for now.

"With the baby on the way it'll be a little bit harder," he said with a laugh.

He has applied to become an electrician's apprentice.

"It's just basically this season that I won't be able to play. I'm just going to get heavily stuck into work and see how I dust up with the body."

The Napier Old Boys' Marist player has been on crutches for five weeks but reckons it will take him another three months before he can start running and doing other things at a normal pace.

"The body just kept giving up on me," he said, claiming the season became a long and drawn-out one before contemplating surgery at the end of it.

The surgeons have told him he would have a 70 per cent chance of becoming better.

Mathieson made his first-class debut almost seven years ago.

He began his professional career with the Northern Districts but then made a cut across to Central Districts after not finding much traction with his home catchment area.

He had a sublime 2014-15 season for the Stags and his record 31 Ford Trophy one-day wickets in that season will stand for many more years to come.

Mathieson said there was a possibility he might not return if things didn't pan out. He thanked manager of high performance for Central Districts Cricket Lance Hamilton for inviting him to be a Stag.

"Matho has been an integral part of the Stags set up since his arrival from our Northern borders several years ago and has provided us with many lasting memories both on and off the field", Hamilton said.

"From my perspective, Matho the man and the character will be missed just as much as the player who donned the Stags crest across the various formats and his presence will be sorely missed in the dressing room" he said.

A highlight for Mathieson was getting to represent the Black Caps against England in Durham in June 2015, taking the wicket of Jason Roy with his first international delivery.

"I want to take this opportunity on behalf of CD Cricket and our wider community to wish Matho all the best for the future and especially to him and Sarah for the birth of their little girl in September. We are grateful for his commitment and contribution to the Stags, and we will certainly miss him," Hamilton said.

Mathieson said travelling around with a bunch of great blokes to play a game they loved was the most memorable part for him as a CD Stag.

He would have liked to have served longer as a Black Cap but is delighted to have had the opportunity to represent his country.

"It was a horrible shot that got him out," he said with a laugh of Roy.