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England seamer David Willey is set to bring the curtains down on his international career at the end of the ongoing ICC World Cup.
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The 33-year-old left-arm seamer, also a handy batter down the order, made the announcement shortly after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) unveiled multi-year contracts and did not include him in the same.
“I never wanted this day to come. From a young boy, I’ve only ever dreamed of playing cricket for England,” Willey wrote in a post on Instagram on Wednesday.
“So, with careful thought and consideration, it is with great regret that I feel the time has come for me to retire from all forms of International cricket at the end of the World Cup.
“I have worn the shirt with immense pride and given my absolute everything to the badge on my chest. I’ve been very lucky to be a part of such an incredible white ball team with some of the best players in the world. I’ve made some special memories and great friends along the way and been through some very difficult times,” Willey, who represented both Northamptonshire and Yorkshire in the County circuit, added.
In the latest ECB contracts unveiled on 24 October, the trio of Joe Root, Harry Brook and Mark Wood had been awarded three-year deals while Test skipper Ben Stokes had signed a 12-month extension.
The ECB also decided to award a two-year deal to express pacer Jofra Archer despite the Barbados-born pacer having remained sidelined from a majority of England’s assignments in the last three years due to injury. Besides Willey, opening batter Jason Roy too has been left out of ECB’s contracts list.
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WIlley had played a key role in helping England restrict India to 229/9 — their lowest total in a completed innings this World Cup — in Lucknow on Sunday with a haul of 3/45. That included the wicket of Virat Kohli, who was dismissed for a nine-ball duck after chipping the ball to mid off.
Willey’s efforts however, ultimately went in vain as their batting unit crumbled when confronted with a sensational collective performance from the Indian bowlers. Pacers Mohammed Shami (4/22) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/32) led the way as England were shot out for a paltry 129, suffering a 100-run defeat that has left the defending world champions needing a miracle to reach the semi-finals.
Read | Are England officially knocked out of race to semis after defeat against India?
The seamer’s announcement comes with England still having three matches left in what has been a disastrous World Cup campaign so far, including against ‘Old Enemy’ Australia in Ahmedabad on Friday. Willey, however, insists his decision to retire has nothing to do with the fact that England have won just one out of six matches so far in the World Cup.
“I’m sure everybody who knows me does not doubt that, whatever my involvement in the remainder of this campaign, I will give my everything and more! That’s the only way I know,” Willey added.
Willey has represented England in 70 ODIs and 43 T20Is since making his debut in the 2015 home season at the age of 25, having collected 94 and 51 wickets respectively with his only five-for coming in the 50-over format.
He had been dropped from the England squad shortly before the 2019 World Cup that England would win at home under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy, with his spot going to Archer. Willey however, would be part of the Buttler-led side that would win the 2022 T20 World Cup after defeating Pakistan in the final.
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