Tasmania’s eighth-highest Sheffield Shield run scorer announces retirement from first-class cricket
After 104 Sheffield Shield appearances for the Tigers since his debut in 2009-10, a top-order batsman has played his last match for the state after announcing his retirement. DETAILS >>
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UPDATED: TWO weeks with his family last Christmas was the catalyst for Alex Doolan to decide the 2020-21 season would be his last.
And while he was unable to force his way back into Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield side — bar a “farewell” match at the MCG last month when he was flown to Melbourne the morning of day one when Tim Paine was unwell — his decision didn’t diminish his hunger to finish his final campaign.
Doolan broke the news of his retirement to his teammates before they headed to Western Australia two weeks ago, at peace with a career that puts him as the state’s eighth-highest first-class run scorer and one of only eight players to play 100 matches.
“I pretty much came up with it around Christmas time, two weeks off over Christmas while the Big Bash was going on was just a bit too good to refuse,” the 35-year-old said.
“I made the call then and I’ve been very comfortable with it ever since.
“I think for maybe the first time in about 10 or 11 years I had a proper Christmas where I had two and a half weeks off.
“No cricket, I was up in Launceston with my family and extended family and it was just really nice to see how the other side lived.
“You’re always going to get there at some point – you can’t play forever – so that was just a moment there where I thought ‘this is great’.
“Two young kids that I want to spend a lot more time with over summer and it was a pretty easy decision to make in the end.
“I was pretty determined to play the rest of the season. Things didn’t go my way selection-wise, but it wasn’t just pull up stumps at Christmas and that’s enough.”
Doolan played four Tests for Australia in 2014 and fell just short of a century on debut against South Africa in Centurion.
However, being part of two Shield victories in 2010-11 and 2012-13 remains the highlight.
“Shields sit right on top, winning Shields. We’ve got a reunion of my first one coming up next weekend so I’m really excited about that,” he said.
“Baggy Green was a really great individual achievement for me, but we play for team success and to be able to celebrate a Shield final with 10, 11, 15 other guys, is something really special and something I’m really looking forward to.”
Doolan, who was crowned this year’s CTPL Emerson Rodwell medallist, is yet to make a decision on his club cricket future, as he plans a move into financial planning.
ALEX DOOLAN FACT FILE
Sheffield Shield matches: 104 (2009-2021)
Runs: 5978
Avg: 32.84
HS: 247*
100s: 11
50s: 30
List A (one-day) matches: 42
Runs: 1336
Avg: 36.1
HS: 96
SR: 75.4
100s: 0
50s: 9
EARLIER: TASMANIA’S eighth highest Sheffield Shield run scorer has called time on his decorated career.
Stylish top order batsman Alex Doolan has announced his retirement from first-class cricket after 12 seasons at the top level — which included a Test call-up in 2014.
The 35-year-old started the 2020-21 season in the Tigers four-day line up but after managing just 45 runs in three innings in the Adelaide hub he was dropped, and his only remaining appearance came early last month, where he was rushed to Melbourne on the morning of a clash against Victoria when Tim Paine was forced to withdraw due to illness.
It was the last of his 118 first-class appearances, 104 of which were in Tigers colours.
He is one of just eight cricketers to have played 100 matches for the state, joining Jamie Cox, Michael Di Venuto, Dan Marsh, George Bailey, David Boon, Shaun Marsh and Dene Hills.
Doolan finishes his Australian domestic career with 5978 runs to his name at an average of 32.84 with 11 centuries, a highest score of 247 not out and featured in two Sheffield Shield winning teams in 2010-11 and 2012-13.
Doolan’s name began entering Test discussions after he scored an unbeaten 161 against South Africa for Australia A at the SCG in 2012 against an attack featuring Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, and two years later he made his Test debut against the Proteas in Centurion.
He fell narrowly short of scoring a century on debut, making 89 runs in the second innings in Australia’s 281-run win, but would feature just three more times in the Baggy Green before being somewhat unluckily axed following the first Test against Pakistan in the UAE in October 2014.
A week earlier Doolan scored a century against Pakistan A in a tour match.
He also represented Tasmania in 31 one day matches, scoring 997 runs at an average of 38.34 and played five seasons in the BBL for both the Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes.
Doolan finished the past summer by being crowned the Emerson Rodwell medallist for a dominant CTPL campaign with South Hobart-Sandy Bay, becoming just the eighth player to win the medal on multiple occasions.
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