England's veteran batting all-rounder Ravi Bopara has called time on his County cricket career. Bopara will not be representing Essex in the T20 Blast this year as he bids goodbye to county cricket after 25 years. The 40-year-old is currently serving as head coach of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings.
"I'm not walking away from cricket at all," he said. "I did think hard about the Blast. That was a really, really tough one to think about. But I'm excited for new things… I've had a good opportunity with commentary, which I think I'd be silly to turn down."
"It's a tough decision, because I felt like part of the furniture of county cricket for so many years… I feel okay. I feel fine. It's probably been coming for a while, and I think signing out on the Blast with that innings at Surrey in the quarter-finals last year is probably a good way to go."
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Bopara made his County debut in 2002. Five years later, he made his Test and ODI debut. A year later, he made his T20I debut as well. His last appearance for England was in ODI World Cup 2015. However, he continued to play T20 franchise cricket. In the previous T20 Blast edition, he scored an unbeaten 105 off just 46 balls. He is open to opportunities whether they are in coaching, commentary or elsewhere.
"We went into that game desperate to get to Finals Day, and it meant a lot to a lot of us. It meant so much,” he recalled.
"I've been incredibly fortunate to play county cricket for 25 years. It's been a huge part of my life. The game in England's given me everything, really. It's given me opportunities. It's given me great memories, and amazing friendships as well. To last 25 years in any sport is something that I'm really proud of.
"I've still got a lot to offer to the game. I'd love to pass on my experience, whether that's mentoring, coaching, or helping younger players… I'm open to new opportunities within the game, whether it's playing in different environments, coaching, or working in different roles. And there's loads of roles: there's not just coaching and commentary," he added.
The Essex cricketer has been shortlisted for their T20 Hall of Fame as well. He is among six men's cricketers. Others on the list are Danny Briggs, Joe Denly, Samit Patel, james Vince and Luke Wright.
Bopara’s career in numbers
Bopara has played 221 first-class games, scoring 12,821 runs at an average of 40.44 featuring 31 centuries and 55 fifties. He has 257 wickets in the red-ball format.
In List A, he has 325 appearances, scoring 9,856 runs at an average nearly 40, including 15 centuries and 60 fifties. He has 248 wickets in One-Day games.
In T20s, he is close 10,000 runs as well. From 494 games, he has 9,948 runs at an average of 28.10, including three tons and 50 fifties. He has been handy with the ball in the shortest format as well, claiming 292 wickets, featuring a six-fer.