- FileWalsh... to retire or not.
Manchester, (Reuters):
WEST INDIES fast bowler Courtney Walsh said yesterday his cricketing future would be decided by the fifth Test against England.
Walsh, 37, who extended his world record tally of Test wickets to 471 yesterday, told Channel Four television that he would reach a decision on retirement by the final Test at The Oval, starting on August 31.
"Definitely when we get to The Oval I'll know for sure which way I'm going," he said. "Because of the delicacy of the series, I'll wait until then.
"The buzz is still there, that's why I'm still playing. I'm still happy if I can do a job for the team."
The next West Indies series is in Australia, beginning in October.
Curtly Ambrose, Walsh's strike bowling partner and one year his junior, has already said he will quit at the end of the England series.
"The time is about right for me to make my exit," said Ambrose, who also took four wickets yesterday to take his tally to 398 in a 13-year career.
"I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to. I am very proud and I want to look good but I sometimes ask why. Sometimes I don't feel like doing it."
Both repeated their disappointment that none of the younger West Indian pacemen had developed enough to replace them. "We still have to do a lot of the work," said Ambrose. "It's a little bit unfair."
Former West Indies paceman Colin Croft predicted Walsh would carry on. "He wants to go to Australia," Croft said.
