Raymond Price Retires :(

[CrimsonAvenger]

Liam Brickhill suggests that Raymond Price has announced his retirement. Very sad to hear this.

EDIT: Source: https://twitter.com/Gomorezvidinha/stat ... 9357853696

[CrimsonAvenger]

Here is a rerun of the tribute to the greatest fighter and entertainer ever produced by Zimbabwe: https://vimeo.com/59788417

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Price is one of the few star players to have represented Zimbabwe - one of the few players who opposition genuinely paid respect to.
His Test figures are pretty good, plenty of big wicket hauls in there at some memorable performances from 2003-04 in particular. But it's probably his miserly ODI figures that he will be most remembered for - not many bowlers of the modern era can claim an economy rate of under 4 an over. 100 wickets at 35.75 is not a bad return at all given the role Price has had to play over the last 6 years.

Let us hope that he is not lost to the game altogether; there's plenty of batsmen at Logan Cup level waiting to for the chance to get dismissed by the legend himself, Raymond Price!

Congratulations Ray Price on the end of a long career. With his retirement, the team has lost its last link to the Zimbabwe team of the 1990s.

[CrimsonAvenger]

Apparently the legend had decided to call it quits at the end of this match. Here is a news item from earlier in the day I could dig up from Indian daily Hindustan Times: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cricket/C ... 99589.aspx

Harare, July 28 -- As his Zimbabwe team-mates finish a strenuous practice session and head for home before the winter cold sets in, Ray Price stays back at the Harare Sports Club.
The left-arm spinner will play one last time for Zimbabwe on Sunday, in the third ODI against India, before calling time on his career. That doesn't mean Price will walk away from the stadium.
In fact, from now on, there are chances one might find him there everyday. Two months back, Price took over the sports shop at the stadium complex. He is set to plunge full time into his new business besides spending time with his wife and three children.
Outspoken
Price was not in the squad for the India series initially, but was drafted in after he informed Zimbabwe Cricket about his retirement plans.
"My contract will end this month and I'm retiring after this match," Price, 37, told HT as he took a seat in his shop. "There are too many things happening in Zimbabwe cricket right now, so I had rather be quiet. I have made enough noise being on the field. I'm blessed to have had a fantastic career. When you reach a point in your career and get old, you don't want to keep playing."
Price is a trained installer of refrigeration and air-conditioning units, but he doesn't want get into that now as he 'didn't enjoy doing it'. He is the nephew of golfer Nick Price, who won the 1994 British Open. Price too plays golf, but is keen to spend time on his second love - fishing.
"It helps me stay calm. As a sportsman you need a way out to relax completely. I find going into the bush and fishing quite relaxing. It has helped me get into a positive frame of mind while playing," said Price, who played one match in India's domestic T20 league for Mumbai Indians in 2011.
Banished
Among Zimbabwe's best spinners, Price played just 22 Tests and 102 ODIs. On the 2002 India, he troubled Sachin Tendulkar. But his best playing days were with English county Worcestershire (2004-8), after joining Heath Streak to protest against political interference in Zimbabwe cricket. He returned in November 2008 and became a canny limited-overs bowler.
"I don't regret what I did," said Price. "But I do regret not playing more Test cricket. But I learnt so much in England. Also not being part of international cricket makes you hungry to come back. So when I came back I was hungry to play and had to prove myself again."
The lowpoint
His biggest disappointment though remains not pulling off a Test victory against West Indies in Harare in 2003. He took ten wickets in the match but the last-wicket pair of Ridley Jacobs and Fidel Edwards denied Zimbabwe a famous victory.
"It was horrible. I would have given them all 10 wickets to get that one wicket. We dominated them for four days, but that's how cricket goes," Price signed off.

[CrimsonAvenger]

So, most probably, Price won't be involved with cricket at all. Sad. A slight hint of displeasure about what is going on currently in Zim Cricket in that interview, but true gentleman - not going into details and bowing out with head held high.

[CrimsonAvenger]

From Liam and Cricinfo now: http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe-v- ... 56077.html

Ray Price, the Zimbabwe left-arm spinner, has retired from international cricket. Price, 37, was included in Zimbabwe's squad for their current one-day series against India but won't be travelling with the team to Bulawayo. It was widely suspected that this series would be Price's last for Zimbabwe, but with national contracts expiring soon, he has decided to call time on his career before the team make the trip south for the final two matches.

"Pricey's called it a day," Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor confirmed. "If he was going to play it was going to be here in Harare. We're going to miss his experience, but in saying that it does give our young spinners who are coming through a great opportunity.

"He's a hell of a competitor. He's a guy that plays with his heart on his sleeve. He leaves nothing out on the field, he'll give you everything and he's a real team man. Unfortunately age is not in his side anymore, and he's moving on with his family. We'll miss him, but I'm sure he'll still be in the picture with our young spinners coming through and I'm sure he'll always be contributing somewhere along the line."

[Googly]

Not giving Pricey one last game is really poor form. I'm very surprised at this.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Not giving Pricey one last game is really poor form. I'm very surprised at this.

It's a shame there wasn't a Twenty20 on this tour, that would have a been a really good festival-like atmosphere to end his career on.

[CrimsonAvenger]

It's a shame there wasn't a Twenty20 on this tour, that would have a been a really good festival-like atmosphere to end his career on.

It is still possible if the boards have the will to do it. Please ZC, BCCI - let us play a Ray Price benefit T20 match...

[bayhaus]

Come ya'll this is ZC we are talking about here. Unfortunately this smells of Mangongo in cahoots with Givemore probably (Not getting the game on sunday) who had a spat with Price and made it clear to him, he had no plans for him for the future. As I said before Price should have just asked for a graceful exit. And one last Hurrah. ZC are not known for giving anyone a dignified exit no matter what their contribution to the game was. It would have been so cool for the fans to see him do a lap of honour. Shame shame shame to ZC.