MacGill wants NSW future
07/06/2008 6:30 PM
Stuart MacGill wants to continue to play for New South Wales despite retiring from international cricket midway through Australia's tour of the West Indies.
MacGill arrived back in Australia on Saturday, revealing that it was his knees, not his troublesome wrist that has forced his hand on his international future.
"Halfway through the first Test I thought 'I'm struggling a bit here'. I was not prepared to endure that, or let other players endure that," MacGill told reporters on Saturday.
"I'd like to play Test cricket but unfortunately the travel involved with Test cricket and the rigorous schedule is just prohibitive."
He said he had felt a little embarrassed at his efforts in the field and said that knee soreness was making it hard for him to pull his weight when the ball wasn't in his hand.
"Once the ball gets past me it takes me slightly longer than the Queen Mary to turn around, so that's not a good thing for a professional athlete," MacGill said.
But he still intends to play for New South Wales this season, providing he can prove his fitness.
"I guess the next couple of months will be pretty much finding out whether or not I can continue to keep playing at all," he said.
"I think we've got the best cricket physio on the planet in NSW in Pat Farhart and obviously in consultation with the Cricket Australia medical staff I will sit down and I guess we will do a status report and see where I'm at. There's certainly no motivation issues, I'm dying to play."