Two Retirements in a Week!

This last week has seen the cricketing world say farewell to two international players, Australian batsman Damien Martyn decided he did not have the necessary commitment to continue competing for Australia, and South African spin bowler Nicky Boje decided to dedicate all his cricketing time to his domestic side.

If, as in Martyn's case, you are giving anything less than 100% during an Ashes revenge clash where you are on the verge of regaining the urn, it is evident that now is the time to relax in front of the tele with a comfy pair of slippers on.

His captain, Ricky Ponting, was more surprised by the timing of his retirement, "When I sat back and digested that he had retired, I thought why didn't he give it one more week?" Ponting said. "He would have had a home Test match and the chance for us to win the Ashes in this Test was there."

On his day, Damien Martyn made the art of batting look as simple as Pele did goalscoring. When in full flourish, Martyn produced glorious drivies through cover-point, an area he was so strong in, both front and back foot. Elegant also through the leg-side, he was as pleasing on the eye as a Mark Waugh.

Martyn was recently made a scapegoat for Australia's Ashes defeat in 2005, (despie many umpiring abhorrations) yet he fought his way back into the side and was selected for the tour to South Africa in March of this year. He re-affirmed his quality with a resounding 101 in the 2nd innings of the 3rd Test.

But after three failures in the current Ashes campaign, Damien Martyn has called time on his career. His statisitcs remain untarnished, after 67 Tests for Australia his batting average registered 46.38, including 13 centuries, a sign of his consistency throughtout his career. In ODI's he appeared in no less than 208 matches, averaging a touch over 40.

Nicky Boje has decided that he has bowled his last spinning delivery for South Africa, citing now was the time for him to concentrate solely on domestic cricket and giving his side the Eagles his full commitment. You can not help but think that after Boje has been messed around for so long from the selectors, that he does not need this constant indecision in his life.

"I have decided to retire from international cricket immediately" said Boje, "and I am accordingly unavailable to form part of the Proteas squad for this season. I have had eleven years of international cricket and will always cherish wonderful memories of playing for South Africa. I now feel that the time has come for me to devote the remainder of my playing years to Eagles cricket."

Boje is very much in the Giles mold, he is not a genuine match winning spinner, instead concentrates solely on keeping it economical and attempting to force the batsman into an undue mistake.

South Africa have repeatedly confessed that they are short of a world-class spinner, which will have done nothing for Boje's confidence, but he has continued to giuve his all for the Proteas side. He collected 100 Test wickets at an average of 42.65, with his economy rate an impressive 2.96 runs per over.

His batting was productive down the order, in both forms of the game, and averages in the mid-20's both in Tests and one-day cricket.

Not without controversy, after he was implicated in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal in 2000, which resulted in Boje refusing to tour India again.

An honest pro, who perhaps will never be remembered as a world beater, but always gave his all.