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Bustling Bichel hangs up his boots
Jim Morton | February 9, 2009 - 11:09AM
Former Australian fast bowler Andy Bichel has announced his retirement from cricket at age 38.
Queenslander Bichel, who played 19 Tests from 1997-2003, decided on Monday to hang up his boots after a long battle with a shoulder injury.
A bustling fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, Bichel took 58 wickets at 32.24 as he played the bulk of his Tests as the first-change bowler to Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie.
But his best performances came in one-day cricket at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa where he starred in comeback victories over England and New Zealand.
Bichel took 7-20 against England and shared in a rearguard 73-run stand with Michael Bevan in a man-of-the-match effort.
He finished the tournament with 16 wickets at 12.31
The evergreen quick was the Pura Cup player of the season in 2005-06 at age 35 when he led Queensland to the interstate four-day title with a double of 452 runs at 34.76 and 50 wickets at 26.69.
AAP
Shoulder finally did him in. I hope he heads off the ICL and makes a few last dollars out of the game. I always thought he was a bit hard done by for the man who won Aust the CWC in 2003.
Hell, it was only a few years ago that a line up of Bichel, Kaspa, Noffke and Johnson were the Queensland pace attack. Not too many you'd swap that for at State level.