Martyn retirement stuns team-mates

Damien Martyn's sudden decision to retire not only caught cricket fans by surprise, it also shocked his own team-mates, according to Glenn McGrath. Writing in his newspaper column in The Sunday Telegraph, McGrath revealed that he only found out the news after reading it on the internet.

"I was at home on Friday afternoon and some friends had mentioned to my wife Jane that they heard about Marto quitting," McGrath said. "I got on the internet and read the article.

"There was no inkling in the rooms as we celebrated our stunning Test win in Adelaide on Tuesday night that he would pull the pin. I hadn't heard that he was even contemplating or thinking about it. But he's made the decision and Marto is happy with it.

"I sent him a text message as soon as I found out. He responded, although I'll keep what he said private. He is just relaxing and is enjoying being free of the scrutiny he felt he was under."

McGrath wrote of Martyn's quiet nature and popularity among the Australia squad. "He will be missed by the boys, both as a batsman and team-mate," McGrath said. "He's a player I've spent a lot of time with - we played our first Test together 12 years ago - and he's become part of the family. I got on well with Marto even though we were probably different personalities.

"Behind closed doors, he liked to chat but there were other guys who would talk more in team meetings. When he did have something to say, it was definitely worth listening to. Marto wouldn't talk for the sake of talking."