Matthew Phelps surprisingly ended his best domestic season, which included three hundreds and the state's Pura Cup Player of the Year prize, by retiring. "I've made the decision knowing I would have been offered a contract for 2006-07, but the opportunity to go out on my terms played heavily on my mind," Phelps, 33, said. "I did not want to be one of those players who plays one season too many."

Phelps harvested 635 runs at 45.35 in 2005-06 - the second consecutive season he had topped the 600 mark - and was carried by scores of 133 against Tasmania and Victoria, an innings which came in his hometown of Lismore, and 124 against Western Australia. He finished with 2380 first-class runs at 37.77 in a 38-match career that began in 1998-99. A patient batsman who was comfortable letting his top-order team-mates do the dominating, Phelps' highest score of 192 came against Tasmania in 1999-200, and he also celebrated one century in 25 limited-overs matches. Since retiring, Phelps has been appointed Cricket NSW's Country Cricket Co-ordinator.
Cricinfo staff May 2006