Australian pacer James Pattinson retires from international cricket ahead of Ashes 2021-22

James Pattinson, a 31-year-old Australian pacer, has declared his retirement from international cricket ahead of the 2021-22 Ashes series. Pattinson’s career has been hampered by injury, and he has only played 21 Test matches for Australia since his debut in 2011.

Pattinson wowed everyone with two five-wicket hauls against New Zealand, followed by a couple of outstanding periods against India, but he never played regularly for his country. He has, however, appeared much fitter in recent seasons, and despite being in the team, he did not play a single Test match in the four-match series against India.

Pattinson was supposed to participate in the upcoming Ashes series at home, but a delay in his preparation owing to the COVID-19 shutdown, followed by another injury last month, put an end to his hope of playing another Ashes series, as he had already stated that this could be his final Ashes series. He has said that he still has four to five years of cricket remaining in him and that he intends to play domestic cricket while still keeping an eye out for a prospective County contract.

In a statement regarding his decision, Pattinson said, “I really wanted to play in the Ashes going into pre-season, but I haven’t had the training I would have liked for the next season. If I wanted to be a part of the Ashes, I’d have to give my best for myself and my teammates. When you need to be 100 percent fit and ready to go at any time, I didn’t want to be in a position where I had to fight with my body. That would be unjust to myself and the rest of the squad”.