Lendl Simmons retires from international cricket

Lendl Simmons, the West Indies batter, has retired from international cricket.

"When I wore the Maroon Colours of the West Indies Cricket for the first time on debut in ODIs on December 7th, 2006, little did I know that my international career would have lasted 16 years but my passion and love for the sport fuelled me every day," he wrote in a message on Twitter.

"I'm closing this chapter of International Cricket having played 144 matches and scoring 3,763 runs from all formats."

On Monday, an Instagram post by Simmons' management team said that he had written a letter to Cricket West Indies last week, informing them about his decision to become a free agent and pursue opportunities on the franchise circuit.

"I still do extensive training and keep myself relatively fit, so my focus is to continue playing franchise cricket for as long as my body permits," he wrote. "Hopefully, I can continue to entertain the people of my region and all over the world for a few more years as I'm still timing the ball beautifully and beating bowling."

pic.twitter.com/ORW4JXlKYN

— Lendl Simmons (@54simmo) July 18, 2022

Simmons' international career, as he noted in his tweet, spanned 16 years. He represented West Indies in eight Tests, 68 ODIs and 68 T20Is, scoring 3763 runs across all formats.

It started with that ODI debut, against Pakistan in Faisalabad, but he was dismissed for a two-ball duck. Overall, he scored 1958 ODI runs, including two centuries, at an average of 31.58.

While Simmons' numbers in Tests aren't eye-catching - he did not score a single fifty - he carved quite a name for himself in the shortest format. He played a key role in West Indies' triumph during the 2016 T20 World Cup, blasting a 51-ball 82 in the semi-final against hosts India.

In total, Simmons scored 1527 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 120.80, with nine half-centuries. He last represented West Indies at the 2021 T20 World Cup, struggling to 16 off 35 balls as the team lost to South Africa.

Simmons has enjoyed a stellar career in franchise cricket, representing several teams like Trinbago Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Karachi Kings and Sylhet Sunrisers. He is the highest run-getter in CPL history, with 2629 runs from 91 innings, including 20 half-centuries.

He also helped Mumbai to two IPL trophies, in 2015 and 2017, scoring a total of 1079 runs from 29 innings during his time there.

"As your agency, we take this opportunity to salute you king. You are arguably the most under estimated international cricketer in the West Indies," his agents 124notout said on Instagram. "For that reason, we will accept your retirement announcement as a resignation and we will turn this into a refinement."

Earlier in the day, former West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin had also announced his international retirement, while leaving open the possibility of being a T20 freelancer.