Michael Lumb forced to retire due to ankle injury

England and Nottinghamshire opener Michael Lumb has been forced to retire from cricket due to an ankle injury. The 37-year-old played both ODIs and T20Is for England, but it was in the shortest format that he had the greatest impact and was part of England's victorious squad in the 2010 World T20 in the West Indies, which remains their only world title till date.

Despite being born in South Africa, Lumb started out at Yorkshire (the county where his father played) and then moved to Nottinghamshire in 2012 and has been with the county ever since. He was also part of their triumphant Royal London One Day Cup side earlier this year and has represented England in three ODIs and 27 T20Is.

He has been forced to retire with immediate effect due to an ankle problem. Speaking about the difficult decision he has had to take, Lumb said: "I'm extremely disappointed I've had to retire from cricket, particularly in the middle of the season, but I have to respect medical opinion.

"I would like to thank all my teammates, the coaching staff and everyone else at the Club for making my stay at Nottinghamshire such a memorable one. Those sentiments also go to everybody at both Yorkshire and Hampshire, who have made my career so enjoyable.

"Last, but by no means least, I couldn't have achieved what I have without the total support of my wife Lizzie and all the rest of my family."

Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell called Lumb a "great role model" and thanked him for his services to the county.

"It's very sad news for Michael. He's a hugely talented batsman that has entertained cricket followers all over the world. He's a great role model to others and a superb professional," he said.

"Michael is an immensely popular senior player in the dressing room and highly respected for what he has achieved during his career. We wish him every success and thank him for all he has contributed to the Club".

At Notts, the southpaw won the Yorkshire Bank 40 Trophy in 2013 before this year's Royal London One-Day Cup triumph and also held the Nottinghamshire record for the highest List-A score for Nottinghamshire until it was broken by Alex Hales' 184 in this year's Royal London One-Day Cup final against Northamptonshire.

Lumb finishes his career with over 11,000 first class runs that included 21 hundreds and 58 fifties, over 6,500 List-A runs at a strike rate in excess of 85 and nearly 5,000 runs in the shortest format of the game with a strike rate of 138.

It was in the shortest format that also helped him play in both the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League, where he represented Rajasthan Royals and the Sydney Sixers respectively.