Astle Bows Out

Nathan Astle has retired from international cricket as one of NZ’s most successful ever batsmen, just six months before the 2007 World Cup. In his twelve year career he has accumulated a total of 11,792 Test and One Day International runs, including 27 centuries. Astle bows out in fourth place on the all-time NZ Test batting list, behind Stephen Fleming, Martin Crowe and John Wright. His 16 one-day centuries are the most achieved by any New Zealander and place him ninth equal in the history of the game. “I have been fighting this day for about eight months,” he said in an official statement. “I so desperately wanted to go to my fourth World Cup, but deep down inside I knew that I was lacking motivation and the enjoyment levels were just not there.”