Former England seamer Harry Gurney has officially announced his retirement from cricket. Just 34-years-old, Gurney has called time on his career due to a severe shoulder injury that has not healed as expected. The left-handed cricketer has struggled to recover from the initial shoulder injury and will now turn his attention to other endeavors. In 2019, Gurney played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders and for years found tremendous success in short-format cricket. Cricket fans can visit onlinecricketbets.in to get the latest information, tips, and news on the IPL and the players competing in the tournament.
Gurney previously played internationally for England in 2014 in one-day international and T20 cricket. It is short-form cricket that Gurney really made a name for himself. In 2019, he left red-ball cricket to focus on T20 thanks to a growing reputation as a specialist of the short-form game.
Gurney enjoyed a fantastic 2019 in short-form cricket playing in tournaments with the Melbourne Renegades, Quetta Gladiators, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Barbados Tridents franchises. His expertise as a bowler in T20 cricket allowed for him to travel the world and enjoy lucrative contracts with various teams. Gurney carved out a place for himself in cricket as a limited-overs competitions specialist. He was extremely successful in tournaments at home and abroad.
In a statement released by Gurney, he stated: “After trying to recover from the recent injury to my shoulder, I am truly disappointed to have to end my playing career as a result of it. Cricket has been my life for 24 years and has taken me on an incredible journey that I will cherish forever.”
Gurney’s professional cricket career may have been cut short with him retiring at 34, but the left-hander won eight trophies during his globetrotting tenure in the game. The cricketer won three one-day trophies while playing with Nottinghamshire. He later went on to win the Big Bash League in Australia with Melbourne Renegades and Vitality Blast League with Notts Outlaws. He claimed 628 wickets during a successful professional career.
The former England international will pursue a post-cricket career in the hospitality sector. He is co-owner of the pub company Cats and Wickets along with cricketer Stuart Broad.
“Playing for England, in the IPL and winning eight trophies at home and abroad including the Blast, Big Bash and CPL has exceeded my wildest dreams,” Gurney’s statement read.
In November 2020, Gurney signed a new single-year white-ball contract. However, the cricketer claims the injury is just too much. The recovery time needed is a hill that is too difficult to climb. The shoulder injury prevented Gurney from playing the entire 2020 Vitality Blast tournament with Notts Outlaws. He was drafted by the Manchester Originals of the all-new the Hundred tournament taking place this summer in England and Wales, but has had to back out.
He underwent surgery on the injured shoulder in September of last year. Not long after undergoing shoulder surgery, Gurney expected to return to cricket. Unfortunately, he didn’t progress as well in rehab as expected.