Outstanding cricket career comes to a sad end

JOHN SELKIRK/The Dominion Post

TIME TO GO: Veteran Wellington wicket-keeper Chris Nevin.

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OPINION: The Wellington selectors have told Chris Nevin it is time to go.

There is no malice, he is no scapegoat for Wellington's season of discontent, the veteran wicketkeeper, who turns 35 next week, has simply lost out to a fellow on the rise, and sympathy abounds.

Fifteen seasons, a century of games, 5000 runs, 300 catches, countless broken fingers, not to mention a few sly cigarettes outside the dressing room. That's Nevin's story in numbers.

Duck or 50, Nevin always came out the dressing room after the game to talk about what happened in the middle. Some days the faster they bowled the harder he cut them, other days they bowled full and he succumbed too easily.

Some days the ball nestled into his gloves as gently as a bird dropping into its nest, other days when the fingers were hurting you wondered whether others were indeed better.

The selectors – coach Anthony Stuart, Greg Hooper and Mark Heissenbuttel – as well as Cricket Wellington chief executive Gavin Larsen think someone is.

Collectively they've noted a gradual decline in Nevin's batting form, which has coincided with the emergence of a young lad with a reputation – Joe Austin-Smellie.

It seems the selectors felt Nevin was not winning one-day games or saving four-day games like he used to and it got them thinking that "Nev" had plateaued and sitting in the background is a better option.

On August 9 they will name Austin-Smellie as their wicketkeeper on their contracts list for this summer. Austin-Smellie scored 97 on debut against Northern Districts last summer but then came back to earth.

Nevin and Larsen declined to discuss the situation yesterday but neither did they deny a distinguished career was in all likelihood being wound up.

Of course, Nevin can fight his way back, prove the selectors wrong, but he's going to have to do it via club cricket. Austin-Smellie also needs to be given a good shot.

Nevin has another option, he can shop around for a week before the six major associations announce their contracts list.

Gareth Hopkins (Auckland), Peter McGlashan (Northern Districts), Kruger van Wyk (Central Districts), Reece Young (Canterbury) and Derek de Boorder (Otago) seem secure. Nevin and Bevan Griggs have been squeezed out.

Only a select few sportsmen depart their chosen sport with a packed stadium and champagne flowing from the cup, all the same what a shame if the last has been seen of this fine little cricketer.

- © Fairfax NZ News