Australia star Shaun Marsh announces retirement from first-class cricket

Shaun Marsh has announced retirement from first-class cricket, 22 years after his debut for Western Australia. The left-handed batter played 183 first-class matches in his long career, aggregating 12,032 runs.

Marsh played 38 Test matches for Australia, with his first appearance for the nation coming in an away match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in September 2011. He has scored 2,265 runs in his Test career, smashing six centuries and 10 half-centuries.

The left-handed batter's last Test appearance came against India back in 2019. The Sydney Cricket Ground played host to the New Year's Test match between India and Australia that year. The game ended in a draw. Marsh got to bat only once, where he scored eight runs before Ravindra Jadeja dismissed him.

Speaking of Shaun Marsh's first-class career, he made his debut in the 2000/2001 season. His last appearance came in a match against South Australia last month.

Western Australia confirmed his retirement with the following statement on Twitter:

"Shaun Marsh calls time on his state career. Leave a message in the comments."

The 39-year-old struggled with injuries during the 2022/23 domestic season, managing to play just a solitary game.

Marsh captained Western Australia in his final first-class game, returning with scores of one & 16. Wes Agar dismissed him in both innings. Western Australia suffered a big defeat in that game at the Adelaide Oval.

Shaun Marsh won the Sheffield Shield title last season

Sheffield Shield - SA v WA: Day 2 (Image: Getty)

While Marsh did not have the best end to his first-class career, he fulfilled his career-long ambition to win the Sheffield Shield trophy the previous season.

Shaun got an opportunity to lead Western Australia to glory in the final against Victoria. It will be interesting to see how Western Australia now perform in the absence of Marsh.