Grant Elliott, whose memorable innings in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 took New Zealand to the final, has retired from all forms of the game.
Elliott, 39, played his last representative game on 17 August for Birmingham Bears against Worcestershire in the T20 Blast in England. He finished with 0/35 and a 16-ball 29 as his team lost by 15 runs to miss out on a spot in the knockouts.
Overall, he played five Tests, 83 one-day internationals and 17 Twenty20 Internationals for New Zealand, and also made a name as a T20 freelancer, especially after playing his last international game in March 2016 in the ICC World T20.
Interestingly, Elliott was born in Johannesburg but moved to New Zealand in 2001, and represented Canterbury and Wellington. A middle-order batsman and handy medium pacer, he was picked by New Zealand for the home Test series against England in early 2008.
“Started in Johannesburg finished in Birmingham. I remember being 12 and writing down my life goals. To play in a World Cup, play international cricket and play county cricket. 27 years on and I have loved every minute of it,” Elliott wrote on Instagram.
“Thanks to all the memorable people I have met that have made this journey special. To family and friends who have given me unwavering support despite all the sacrifices, I have had to make that have impacted them.
“This game is a special one but it doesn’t define us. Looking forward to the future with great excitement and sharing a drink with those selfless players I shared a change room with.”
Elliott’s greatest moment in a New Zealand shirt was most certainly the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final at Eden Park in Auckland, when he slammed 84* in just 73 balls to take his team to an incredible win off the penultimate ball against South Africa.
He finished the game with a six over long-on off Dale Steyn, his third six of the innings.
Another of Elliott’s career highlights came in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2009, when his gritty 75* helped New Zealand to a five-wicket win over Pakistan at Wanderers.
Over the years, he has also played first-class cricket and T20 league cricket in Bangladesh, South Africa, Pakistan, and the Caribbean, and was also part of the ICC World XI team that travelled to Lahore for a series of T20Is in September 2017.
