Gary Wilson, Ireland's former captain, has brought curtains down on his 16-year career by announcing his retirement from professional cricket. Wilson, who also played for Derbyshire and Surrey, made his ODI debut against India in 2007. He went on to play 105 ODIs, accumulating 2072 runs, alongside effecting 83 dismissals. He notched up his highest ODI score of 113 against Netherlands in 2010. Wilson was also an established member of the Ireland T20I set-up, ending up with 1268 runs in 81 matches. He also played two Test matches for his country scoring 45 runs. Wilson was part of the Ireland set-up in seven World Cups across both the 50-over and T20 formats. He also captained the Ireland side in 26 T20Is, with the side winning 12 of those games.
"To step away from international cricket after 16 years is something I will miss dearly - I will miss the guys probably more than anything, but pulling on the shirt and playing for Ireland was the only thing I ever dreamed of growing up. To have played for Ireland 292 times is something I am very proud of - if I had thought I'd have made it 10 times growing up I would have snapped your hand off, so 292 times is something I'm very proud of," Wilson said. "To be named T20 captain for Ireland in 2018 was probably my proudest moment internationally. Again, growing up it was something I could only dream of. As for achievements, obviously the various world cups and T20 world cups, but probably my best game in an Irish shirt came in a world cup match against UAE in Brisbane [he hit 80 from 69 balls and took two catches in a Player of the Match performance].
There were so many memorable games over the years - the Zimbabwe game in the same world cup was probably my favourite game to be part of," he added. Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland Men's captain, said, "Gary was a brilliant teammate and a great friend to have - a guy who you would never hesitate to chat to about anything on or off the field. He was one of those people who - every time he pulled on the jersey - wore his heart on his sleeve, always leading by example in everything we were trying to do as a team. "Within the set-up, he was one who would always offer to help develop the next crop of young Irish cricketers. I have no doubt he will be a successful coach and I'm looking forward to seeing his progress. We are very fortunate to have someone like Gary still involved in Irish cricket - and long may it continue."
