Sean Ervine announces retirement

In the latest episode of the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe cricket, Sean Ervine, one of the 15-man group which has been sacked by the board, has announced his retirement from international cricket and left the country to go to Australia.

Vincent Hogg, the chief executive of the ZCU, confirmed that he had received a letter from Ervine which stated that he was retiring. "He's a wonderful young man and a great little player," Hogg said, according to an AAP report. "He went through a lean patch early on but he's come good and it's hard to see him go."

Ervine played just five Tests, scoring 261 runs at an average of 32. His last three Test innings were all half-centuries - 53 against Australia, and 86 and 74 against Bangladesh. He also played 42 one-day internationals, aggregating 698 runs at nearly 26, and taking 41 wickets with his right-arm medium pace. Arguably his best moment in international cricket came in the VB Series against India last season, when he struck a superb 100 and nearly pulled off an incredible run-chase at Adelaide.

Ironically, it was the Australian touring squad which spotted Ervine, 21, at Johannesburg airport as they stopped over on the way to Harare. According to an earlier report in The Australian newspaper, Ervine told them he was heading to Perth to see his girlfriend, who is also the daughter of Geoff Marsh, Zimbabwe's coach, and didn't specify when he might be coming back.