The moment Callum Ferguson decided to retire from first-class cricket

One-Test wonder Callum Ferguson announced his retirement from first-class cricket this week, a decision prompted by a shock axing.

Callum Ferguson of the Redbacks.

South Australian batsman Callum Ferguson has conceded being dropped from the state’s Sheffield Shield side last month came as a surprise, motivating his shock retirement.

Despite being one of the Redbacks most experienced players, Ferguson was omitted from the starting XI for their round one fixture against Western Australia at Karen Rolton Oval.

“Once I got left out of the first game of the year, it knocked a bit of the wind out of my sails,” Ferguson told RSN Radio.

“I was still at my age thinking, ‘If I put 1000 runs on the board this summer, you don’t know where you can end up’. Certainly seeing Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh and (Chris) Rogers get cracks deep into their 30s, that was still there, I was still thinking that.”

The 35-year-old unfortunately found himself on the chopping again after scoring a pair against Victoria last week.

However, Ferguson opted to retire from first-class cricket on Thursday, announcing this week’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland would be his last.

West End Redbacks player Callum Ferguson announced he will play his final first-class match for South Australia next week.

If he can muster 60 runs against the Bulls, Ferguson will finish his first-class career as South Australia’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Sheffield Shield history, behind Darren Lehmann, Greg Blewett and David Hookes.

He also boasts the sixth most Sheffield Shield centuries for the Redbacks with 19, equal to Sir Donald Bradman.

Ferguson played one Test match against South Africa in 2016, before he was brutally axed during an infamous change of the guard, which saw more than half of Australia’s Test side dropped.

Although his first-class career is coming to a close, Ferguson will continue representing the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, which commences in December.