Star Ireland all-rounder Kevin O'Brien, who is widely renowned for his blazing century against England in the 2011 ODI World Cup, announced his retirement from international cricket on August 16 (Tuesday). The 38-year-old, to this day, holds the record for smashing the fastest century in the ODI World Cup, a feat which he achieved against the Three Lions in 2011 when he reached the milestone in just 50 balls and helped Ireland pull off one of the biggest upsets in quadrennial tournament's history.
"Today I announce my retirement from international cricket after 16 years and 389 caps for my country," Kevin O'Brien said in a post on Twitter.
Younger of the two O'Brien brothers, Kevin represented Ireland in all three formats of the game after making his international debut back on June 13, 2006. He played three Tests, 153 ODIs and 110 T20Is and scored 5,850 international runs.
In his statement, Kevin O'Brien, who also bagged more than 170 international wickets, said that he wanted to quit international cricket after participating in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
"I had hoped to finish my career at the T20 World Cup in Australia but having not been picked for the Irish squad since last year's World Cup, I feel that the selectors and management are looking elsewhere," he continued.
"I have enjoyed every minute playing for Ireland, made many friends on the pitch and I have so many happy memories to remember from my time playing for the National side.
"I have enjoyed every minute playing for Ireland, made many friends on the pitch and I have so many happy memories to remember from my time playing for the National side. It's now onto the next stage of my life and my career for me, the time is right.
"I want to continue to grow my own Coaching Academy here in Ireland and I have some exciting opportunities coming up in the near future. I also want to continue to gain coaching experience overseas and hopefully will have more opportunities with some international and professional sides in the near future," Kevin O'Brien added.
O'Brien's retirement comes exactly two months after former Ireland captain William Porterfield decided to walk away from the sport.
