McKay announces retirement from Australian cricket

After carrying the drinks for Victoria's Sheffield Shield final-winning side in Glenelg last week, Clint McKay has called time on an 11-year Australian first-class and international career.

McKay, who will continue to ply his trade with Leicestershire in England's County Championship, played a single Test for Australia against the West Indies in 2009, as well as six T20 Internationals, but the fast bowler excelled in the 50-over format, finishing with an outstanding bowling record in 59 ODIs.

He became a key fixture in Australia’s one-day side from 2009 - where he picked up the wickets of Indians Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni on international debut in Hyderabad - to his last match for Australia in early 2014, taking 97 wickets at 24.37, including a hat-trick against England.

Over that period, only Mitchell Johnson took more ODI wickets in the green and gold than McKay, who was named Australia’s ODI Cricketer of the Year at the Allan Border Medal awards in 2013.

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The 33-year-old was disappointed he wasn’t selected to play more international cricket, though optimistic about Australia’s bowling stocks looking forward.

“Yeah it was difficult to take,” McKay told cricket.com.au about losing his spot in Australia’s ODI team. “But that’s sometimes how things pan out.

“I didn’t have a great series of India (in 2013) and that was the beginning of the end (of my international career). I came back to Australia and had a good summer – I only played three games but I did quite well in two of those three games.

“It was a little disappointing to lose my spot but the young generation coming through have got some superstars in the making. They were performing quite well and it was great for them to get their opportunity.

“It was disappointing that it had to come at my expense but it's just one of those things that happens in the pressure of sport.”

Unerring accuracy, a hint of seam movement and a deadly back-of-the-hand slower ball were features of McKay’s bowling armoury, despite not possessing express pace.

Those traits helped McKay play a crucial part in the Sydney Thunder’s recent KFC Big Bash League-winning campaign and he finished as BBL|05’s leading wicket-taker, with 18. He will continue to play for the Thunder in the BBL, as well as with Leicestershire.

McKay found himself out of Victoria’s Sheffield Shield side lin the summer of 2014-15, while he played just three matches this season as the Bushrangers claimed back-to-back four-day titles.

Victoria’s omission of a bowler in the class of McKay is a testament to their depth, something that he’s been proud to be a part of.

“If the team hadn’t been so successful, it would have been a lot harder to take,” the right-armer said. “But we’ve got some great young guys coming through and also some senior heads, so it's actually quite a hard side to cement your spot in.

“You look at the guys who’ve played in the last two Shield finals – you’ve got James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and John Hastings who are Australian bowlers, and this year you’ve seen the younger guys in Scott Boland and Chris Tremain step up.

“So the attack has been amazing and when one goes down (through national duties or injury), there’s another there to take their place.

“It has been a little bit difficult (being out of the side), but in some respects helping out the younger guys coming through and seeing them forge their own careers is quite a good feeling as well.”

McKay played in Victoria’s 2008-09 Sheffield Shield-winning side and also had stints with Indian Premier League teams the Mumbai Indians in 2012 and Sunrisers Hyderabad the following year.

After taking 81 wickets for English County side Leicestershire last year across all formats, he will return to play for the Foxes for another northern summer.

Grace Road has a strong Australian presence, with Leicestershire coached by former Test allrounder Andrew McDonald and captained by South Australia opener Mark Cosgrove, in addition to McKay.