Chris Rogers announces first-class retirement
Chris Rogers has announced his retirement from first-class cricket following Somerset's final County Championship match
Chris Rogers has announced his retirement from first-class cricket following Somerset's final County Championship match.
Rogers, 39, made twin hundreds in the match which Somerset won by 325 runs to sit top of the table heading into the final day of the season. If Yorkshire or Middlesex fail to win at Lord's, Somerset will lift their first Championship title.
"That's it for me," he said. "I have had a good career and to finish off that way is pretty special. I'm getting old. I am going to miss playing and the standing ovation from the crowd was very special, but it happens in all careers and it's time to move on.
"My overriding feeling is one of immense pride in my team. We were favourites to go down at the start of the season and look where we are now.
"I'll be texting a few of my old team-mates at Middlesex tonight, you can be sure of that. I know what is in their dressing room and I know they will fight all the way against Yorkshire. The title race is out of our hands, but neither side will role over at Lord's so it's going to be interesting."
He finishes with 25,470 runs which included 76 centuries in a career which began in 1998-99. He retired from Test cricket after last year's Ashes series in England.
Somerset were his fifth county, with Rogers taking over the captaincy from Marcus Trescothick before the start of the season. He had previously spent four seasons at Middlesex, where he was also captain for a time, after spells with Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire.
Rogers began his career with Western Australia before moving to Victoria. He was first capped in 2008, playing one Test against India in Perth, but returned to the Australia squad for the 2013 tour of England; his maiden century came during the Ashes and he ended up as the leading run-scorer on either side over the back-to-back series.
Four of his five Test centuries were scored against England, with his final appearance coming at The Oval during the 2015 Ashes. He then agreed a contract with Somerset before spending the Australian summer doing media work.