Saurashtra veteran batsman Sheldon Jackson retires from Indian cricket

Sheldon Jackson played 106 first-class matches in his career.

Sheldon Jackson, who made his domestic debut in 2006, has bowed out of Indian cricket at the end of his side, Saurashtra’s run in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25 where they were knocked out in the quarter-final by Gujarat.

Previously, Jackson had announced his retirement only from Indian limited-overs cricket and now he’s hanged his boots from first-class cricket as well.

“The way Saurashtra’s youngsters played during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy convinced me my time was up I didn’t find it right to be blocking someone’s spot. At 37-38, even if I score 5000 runs, I wasn’t going to be in the reckoning for the national team. Or say I scored ten ducks, the worse that would’ve happened is I’d be out of the state team,” Jackson told ESPNcricinfo.

“In that sense, there was no scope for growth. What’s the point in me holding on to my spot when it wasn’t going to lead me anywhere? I rang up Jaydev Shah [the Saurashtra Cricket Association president, who is currently in Australia as the India team manager] and expressed my thoughts and then communicated it to the captain [Jaydev Unadkat] and the coach [Niraj Odedra].”

Sheldon Jackson’s career stats:

Sheldon Jackson made his List A debut in 2006, T20 debut in 2009 and first-class debut in 2011. The wicket-keeper batsman played 106 first-class matches, in which he scored over 7000 runs at an average of 45 with 21 centuries.

In 86 List A games, he scored 2792 runs at 36 with nine centuries, and in 84 T20s, he scored 1812 runs with one century and 11 fifties.

Jackson also played nine IPL matches for Kolkata Knight Riders but managed only 81 runs with a highest score of 16. His last IPL appearance was in 2022 and in the last two auctions, he’s not been part of the auction pool.

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