Windies’ Chanderpaul retires from internationals

REUTERS – West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has officially retired from international cricket, seven months after selectors opted to discard the veteran and push for a youth-oriented policy.

Chanderpaul, who was dumped before the home series against Australia last June, said at the time he felt he deserved the opportunity to play one final series despite a poor return in domestic cricket before the squad was selected.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) thanked him for his contribution to their game.

“The WICB acknowledges the invaluable contribution Shiv has made to the game globally and we wish him all the best,” WICB President Dave Cameron said in a statement.

The 41-year-old made his test debut against England in 1994 and went on to amass 11,867 runs at an average of 51.37 in his 164 tests for the Caribbean side.

His total is the seventh highest of all time, and he finished behind Brian Lara’s 11,953 as the second most prolific West Indian batsman.

He scored 30 test centuries and 66 half centuries and had a high score of 203 not out. He also scored 8,778 runs in 268 one-day internationals at 41.60.

Chanderpaul’s ungainly batting stance was at odds with cricket’s coaching manuals, but soft hands and a superb eye allowed him to flick, dab and poke the ball into gaps in the field and quietly accumulate runs.

A low conversion rate of 50s to 100s early in his career was rectified after foot surgery removed some floating bone chips and allowed him to play without pain.

Chanderpaul’s calm demeanour held together an increasingly brittle West Indies batting lineup after the retirement of Lara and many opposition teams targeted him as the key wicket.

While selectors continue to pursue their youth policy in a bid to rebuild the once powerful cricketing side, Chanderpaul was still playing domestic first class cricket earlier this week.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)