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Nathan Astle's reluctance to blow his own trumpet was never more evident than during yesterday's shock announcement in Perth, when he confirmed his intention to call time on an international career that spanned a dozen years, and marked him as one of New Zealand's finest batsmen.
The 35-year-old
right-hander had been asked to assess a career that he brought to an unexpected and abrupt halt yesterday - only two days before a crunch game against Australia.
"Actually, I've been quite surprised at how well I've done at international level," he said. "So I walk away with no regrets, having thoroughly enjoyed the experience."
Astle, who cited waning enjoyment levels as the main reason behind his retirement, will be replaced for the remainder of the series by Lou Vincent, who arrived in Perth yesterday and will be considered for tomorrow's showdown against the world champions.
Despite the suddenness of the move and the fact that he could hardly have picked a more remote location to break the news, Astle said the idea of pulling the pin had been playing on his mind for some time.
"It's been something I've been fighting with for the past eight months and - in my own mind - I was close to not coming here [Australia]. But I really wanted to give it one last crack and find out if there was anything left. I think I owe it to the guys that I play with [to retire] if my heart's not in it. They're better off having someone else coming in instead. I would dearly love to get through this - but there's just nothing there; there's nothing left."
Astle had a falling out with the New Zealand selectors last year, to the extent that he began speaking publicly about retirement, and has suffered from patchy form this summer, posting four ducks and a 1 in his most recent seven innings.
However, he insisted that any talk of him being pushed out of the team by the selectors was wide of the mark.
"I've had my differences with the selectors over the past year but those have been well and truly left behind," he said. "We sat down and discussed things and got all the issues out in the open, and there's been no problems since.
"The reason is that I'm simply not enjoying my cricket any more, and for me that's where it starts and ends. I started playing the game because I enjoyed it, and now I'm giving it up because I'm not enjoying it any more."
His decision means there will be at least one change tomorrow to the line-up that New Zealand employed to beat England in Adelaide on Tuesday, with Vincent expected to come in as a straight swap at the top of the order.
The other selection poser is whether coach John Bracewell will use his ace fast-bowler Shane Bond or rest him ahead of Tuesday's match against England.
