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Gilchrist set to call it a day

2012-05-20 01:02:01

Australian legend Adam Gilchrist looks to have played his last game of professional cricket after admitting he no longer has a great hunger for the game

Speaking after his Kings XI Punjab outfit were eliminated from the Indian Premier League on Saturday, Gilchrist revealed that he didn’t think he would play in the next edition of the competition, the only tournament he still takes part in.

Having retired from international cricket in 2008, Gilchrist first led the Deccan Chargers before taking over at the Kings XI in 2011.

The 40 year-old’s form has waned in recent times and the explosive batsman admits that his heart is no longer fully in it, revealing that he was not too bothered when a hamstring injury sidelined him for a month of the competition.

“I would say I’ve played my last game of cricket just there,” he said after the match. “I’ll go away and have a think about it and talk to the franchise. If the franchise is still keen to keep me involved as coach, which is a role I’ve really enjoyed, I find that I still enjoy being around the group. To be honest I didn’t miss the cricket that much.

“I loved the fact that I could play the last couple of games, but I didn’t have the horrible desire that I was missing out. There isn’t that fire burning in my belly quite like it used to. I have to think about it but I just feel I won’t be playing.”

After an international career that spanned 12 years, 96 Tests and 287 ODIs, Gilchrist went on to play 67 IPL games, scoring 1775 runs at an average of 27.73 and a strike-rate of 140.20.