He may not have broken any Test run-scoring records like Alastair Cook or wicket-taking barriers like Jimmy Anderson but Craig Kieswetter’s retirement today draws down a premature curtain on a mould-breaking England cricket career.
After the freakish accident caused by a short ball from David Willey penetrating the helmet grille and smashing his eye socket, the Somerset star spent weeks in hospital and several months trying to recover his eyesight and form. While he did manage a few county outings towards the end of the 2014 season, a dismal T20 season with the Warriors led Kieswetter to feel he couldn’t see the ball as well as he used to. When he decided to sit out the 2015 season, I think we all knew it was just the prelude to a full retirement from frontline cricket, so today’s announcement comes as no surprise.
As a Somerset fan, it’s particularly sad. He followed a well-trodden route from Millfield School to the County Ground, and made his one-day debut in April 2007. Batting at eight, he struck an unbeaten 69 from 58 balls to set up a 24-run victory.. In May, he was given his chance in whites. It was a strange start. Derbyshire batted for two days to amass a huge 801-8 declared, yielding just one catch behind the wicket for the 19 year-old. He contributed 63 runs to Somerset’s reply but given that even Charl Willoughby scored two sixes, it must have been a typical Taunton batting track!
Like many other England players at the time, he started his career in South Africa, representing his home nation at under-19 level. He scored plenty of runs in the 2009 domestic summer before he could qualify for his adopted country, then made his first appearance for England in 2010 in a one-dayer in Bangladesh. He played as a specialist batsman as fellow South African Matt Prior took the gloves. Kieswetter scored only 19 but he went on to acquire 46 ODI caps and 25 at T20. His big-hitting style earned him a berth as opener in the 2010 World Cup, and he was the Man of the Match in the final against Australia.
His star waned a bit as Prior was preferred in the 50-over format but England’s loss was Somerset’s gain. This also led to a dilemma at Taunton. We also had the promising youngster Jos Buttler in the squad. While not as good in the first-class game, Buttler was even better than Kieswetter in List A and T20 cricket. They vied for the wicketkeeper role, too, and I recall seeing them both warming up on the County Ground outfield wearing gloves, with spectators confused as to who would miss out!
In the end, Kieswetter was given the position on a full-time basis, a decision which was probably correct but which led to Buttler moving to Lancashire to develop his ‘keeping with an eye to the England Test side. Ironically, Lancashire were relegated to Division Two but Jos has since cemented his place for the Ashes summer. From having two brilliant ‘keeper-batsmen, Somerset now rely on Alex Barrow, great behind the stumps but distinctly moderate with the bat. Kieswetter’s absence will be keenly felt.
Craig scored more than 13,000 runs, including 22 centuries. Half of them came in List A games, at which his scoring rate was close to 100, a world-class statistic. He averaged 39 in both format, too, while scoring 29 fifties in Twenty20. He seems to have been on the scene for ages but his career is over at only 27. I hope he can stay in Somerset cricket but I’m sure he must have received a generous ovation when leading out the county team at the start of tonight’s Blast fixture. “See you on the sidelines”, he has announced. I certainly hope so.
