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An ankle injury has forced England all-rounder Cameron Steel to make the tough call to retire from professional cricket. Surrey batter, who could contribute with leg-spin, made the call after months spent on sidelines. Steel said that it has been a frustrating year and a half for him as he gave his everything to come back to competitive cricket.
"Playing cricket for a living, and particularly for Surrey, has been the best time of my life," Steel said in a statement released by Surrey on Monday. "The last 18 months have been frustrating, and I'm gutted to be retiring on medical grounds.
"Cricket had become something I was watching, rather than doing, with too much time in the Oval's windowless gym and not enough time out in the middle. I've always prided myself on working hard and doing everything I can to improve, and I gave my all to get back on the park. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.”
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Steel made his first-class debut in 2014 and became Durham's youngest double-centurion. The then 21-year-old scored 224 from 408 balls in a marathon eight-hour stay against Leicestershire to make headlines. However, his batting numbers dipped and he eventually moved to Surrey in 2021. He thanked the club’s medical staff, coaches Gareth Batty and Alec Stewart for helping him.
"Surrey have always encouraged me to be unapologetically myself, and I'm hugely grateful to the club, the players and the members for their support throughout my time here,” Steel further wrote.
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"Thank you to the medical staff for sticking with me through every grumpy calf raise and setback, and to the coaches, whose shoulders and backs survived years of throwdowns. Mostly, thank you to the lads for their friendship and support.
"A special thank you to Gareth Batty for his backing, opportunities and limitless time, and to Alec Stewart for taking a chance on me in 2021 and bringing me to the best club in the world. Who knew the Gaffer was watching Western Australian grade cricket?
"I won't miss warmups, battling technical deficiencies, or not being able to walk after a day's play. But I will miss spending every day training, travelling and competing with my best mates, the rush of playing in front of an Oval crowd, and the unrivalled satisfaction of winning a trophy or three.
"It has been a dream come true. Ten-year-old me would be very proud to have done it. But 30-year-old me, who now hurts in places he never expected, might even enjoy being free on the weekends… eventually."
Burns and Stewart disappointed for Steel
Surrey skipper and an out-of-favour England opener, Rory Burns is disappointed that Steel has not been able to recover from the injury. He lauded the dedication he showed throughout the rehabilitation period.
"We're obviously very disappointed for Cam because it's been a long time that he's had to rehab for and tried to get himself to somewhere where he feels like he can do his job. It's sad for him that it's not worked out that way and I've seen how much time and effort he's put in the gym over this last period and his dedication to it, so it's really disappointing for him,” Burns said.
Surrey's director of cricket Alec Stewart of similar opinion as well on Steel who spent five years at the club.
"It is cruel that injury has ended Cam's career but I know he has done everything in his power to try and get himself match fit and back out in the middle,” the legendary England wicketkeeper-batter said.
“In the five years he's been with us, he's had a really positive impact on the group and will be missed by everyone. He has been a pleasure to work with and Cam will always be a part of the Surrey family and can always call the Kia Oval home."
Cameron Steel’s domestic cricket numbers
Steel has played 66 first-class, 42 List A and 24 T20 games. In red-ball cricket, he has 2,733 runs from 66 games at an average of 27.05, including four tons and 13 fifties. He has 60 wickets in the format at an average of 35.18, featuring two fifers.
In the List A format, he has 666 runs from 39 innings at an average of 20.18, including five half-centuries. He has claimed 45 wickets in the format, including four four-fers. In 16 T20 innings, he has managed 165 runs at an average of 16.50 and strike rate of 122.22. He has just 12 wickets to his name.
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