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England all-rounder David Willey bowed out of international cricket in a memorable way after win in their ICC Cricket World Cup match against Pakistan and completing 100 ODI wickets with a three-wicket haul, but he also revealed that not knowing where he stood in grand scheme of things with England cricket took a toll on him and at one point, he doubted if he should travel to India for the tournament.
Willey bowed out of the sport with a cameo of 15* in five balls and figures of 3/56 against Pakistan. His cameo lifted England to 337/9 in 50 overs and the Three Lions bundled out Pakistan for 244 in 43.3 overs. Willey finished the tournament with 11 wickets, second to spinner Adil Rashid with regards to England's wicket-taking charts. In 73 ODI matches, Willey retires with 100 wickets at an average of 29.75, with best bowling figures of 5/30. "It was mixed emotions," Willey said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. "My time is done... but it is with deep regret. Anybody looking in has probably looked at the way I have gone about my business and [seen that I am] probably playing the best cricket of my career. I am 33, as fit as I have ever been," he added. Willey said that he was not offered a central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as they were going in a different direction post-World Cup and the uncertainty around his international career took a toll on him. "One of the reasons that I wasn't offered a contract was them going in a different direction after the World Cup - I do not know why [they are]. It has been a period for some time now... not knowing quite where I stand with England and it has just taken its toll, and becomes very tiring," he said. The all-rounder believes that he would have played a valuable role in England's T20 World Cup title defence next year in June at West Indies/USA. He also said that though it is "never said never" in cricket, he is confident that he has played his last game for England and does not want to feel like a "third wheel" anymore. "Never say never, but right now, I am very confident [in] my decision that today was my last game of cricket for England. Do I want to go to the Caribbean and run drinks, and not know where I stand, and just feel like a third wheel again - which is very much what I felt like when I turned up at Lord's, being the only one without a contract? Probably not, so I am done," said Willey. Willey said that he had doubts whether he should travel to India after learning that he was the only player in the squad without a central contract and from then on, retirement was on his mind. "I was not sure whether I was going to come to the World Cup, even to the 11th hour. The morning that we were joining up at Lord's, I still was not sure whether I would make the trip or not," said Willey. "From then on, it [retirement] was something that was on my mind. It is not just that I have not been offered a contract; it is how I feel valued as an England player, when I look down that list of other guys that have got contracts... I came to the decision that the time was right for me to call it a day," he concluded. (ANI)
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