England wicketkeeper Alec Stewart said on Friday the thought of another tough winter away from home had prompted him to announce his retirement from Test cricket.
Surrey stalwart Stewart (40) said, on the eve of the first Test here against South Africa at Edgbaston, that he would quit Test cricket at the end of the current series against the Proteas.
That gives Stewart the chance to bow out from England duty on his Oval home ground where the fifth and final Test gets underway on September 4. After that England travel to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before touring the West Indies in the spring of 2004.
Stewart, speaking at Edgbaston here on Friday where rain delayed the start of the second day’s play, said: ”With a long winter coming up I felt it would be one tour too many, and therefore I will call it a day at The Oval or if not beforehand.”
”I hope I have chosen the right time to go. I am sure I will miss it — but at the same time I will look back and say I have enjoyed my career.”
Stewart, who retired from one-day international cricket after England’s first round exit at this year’s World Cup, said his limited overs successor, Nottinghamshire’s Chris Read, was in pole position to take his Test place.
”Purely as a wicketkeeper I think Chris Read is very much the favourite. He did a very good job in the one-dayers,” said Stewart, England’s most-capped Test player (128) and second highest run-scorer (8,281).
”Even so I am sure the others will be competing and pushing for a chance too,” said Stewart citing Essex’s James Foster, already an England Test player, and Kent’s uncapped Geraint Jones as two of Read’s rivals for his spot.
But he confirmed that he was not giving up on all professional cricket, saying he wanted to play for Surrey — where he has been a first-team player for 22 years — next season. – Sapa-AFP