Time had caught up with me, admits Australian leg-spinner
Stuart MacGill's surprise decision to retire from international cricket was prompted by his declining fitness.
MacGill, 37, called time on his career with Australia midway through their tour of the Caribbean, announcing the news on the third morning of the drawn second Test in Antigua.
The leg-spinner admitted he had become a liability in the field and could no longer cope with the rigours of Test cricket.
"Halfway through the first Test I thought 'I'm struggling a bit here'," he said.
"I was not prepared to endure that, or let other players endure that.
"I'd like to play Test cricket but unfortunately the travel involved and the rigorous schedule is just prohibitive.
"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, who took 208 wickets in 44 Tests, is keen to play at least one more domestic season for New South Wales, 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 added.
"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 to see where I'm at.
"There's certainly no motivation issues. I'm dying to play."
