Boyd Rankin on thoughts about retiring after England’s Ashes debacle


Alastair Cook’s side headed down under full of hope last November, but were hammered 5-0 by their arch-rivals.

Rankin – who was born in Ireland and had to retire from playing for the nation to represent England – made his Test debut in the series-ending clash in Sydney.

He took just one wicket though, and was forced off twice with cramp as England were beaten by 281 runs, but has since confirmed that he was battling a shoulder injury.

And Rankin, who felt he could not pass up the chance to play, said his bad experience made him re-evaluate his future.

“I wasn’t anywhere near where I wanted to be in that Sydney game,” Rankin told ESPNCricinfo .

“I had torn half the cartilage off my shoulder in a fielding session we had a couple of days before the Test. So I was struggling with that and I had a back spasm during the Test as well.

“I felt I had to play. I had to take my chance, but I don’t suppose I did that, really. I tried to fight hard through that.

“It was still a special occasion for me, but I did feel I let myself and the rest of the team down. It’s been tough coming back from that.

“I don’t feel I took my chance. I’m sure a lot of people weren’t impressed. Hopefully I can still show people what I’m capable of doing.

“It was a tough period for me when I got back. There were a few days when I was thinking ‘should I still be playing cricket?’ There were quite a few questions asked.

“But I learned a lot from the experience and I believe it has made me a stronger person. All I can do now is put in some strong performances and see what happens. I know, deep down, what I can do.”

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