Cricket: O'Brien set to retire for Rosie

Iain O'Brien. Photo / Getty Images

Iain O'Brien just wanted to slip the announcement out in Napier and depart with little fanfare.

It might have been appropriate because it would have been very much the same way he has played his test career, really.

The 33-year-old has always been a different type of cricketer.

He is an unlikely figure, unfashionable with his motley, ginger beard that looks more like a chin strap than anything particularly rugged.

He writes an irreverant blog that made him more famous than any of his exploits at the crease.

Last night, though, he announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the third test against Pakistan in Napier to be with his wife Rosie, who lives in England, and he will play for Middlesex.

He wants to start a family and it's a little difficult to do that on opposite sides of the world.

Since they married two-and-a-half years ago, the pair have lived only nine months together.

"I just want to be a husband and start a family," O'Brien said after yesterday's third day as he struggled to hold back the tears.

"Too much time away and I'm really struggling. I just want to get back to England and start a life over there.

"I am 33 and my main focus now is becoming a 'proper' husband. Cricket has been my No 1 - I've placed it in front of everything else. It's now time to put Rosie first."

O'Brien won't be totally lost to cricket. He has signed as an overseas player for English county side Middlesex and there is a chance of a three-year deal if he secures his residency.

His retirement might seem curious timing now that he commands his place in the side as a third seamer.

But O'Brien is never likely to become a millionaire playing in the IPL and his stocks are high enough to secure a county cricket contract, especially as he won't be absent on international duty.

"It was a tough decision," he said. "I made my mind up about three months ago that this was definitely going to be my last summer and then a couple of weeks later I decided this is going to be my last series.

"The original plan was to sneak it in during [the] Napier [test] but there were a few too many people who knew and I didn't want it getting out."

The Wellingtonian made his test debut in 2005. His best was figures of six for 75 against the West Indies in Napier last year and last weekend in Dunedin he tasted victory in a test against a nation other than Bangladesh.

He will go into his last test with 67 wickets in 21 tests at a tick over 35 and he also played 10 one-dayers and four Twenty20 internationals.

"I wouldn't mind an average of 22 with bat and ball," O'Brien joked. "I played the first two tests [before being dropped] so every one since has been a bonus. It's very much a case of no regrets."

Iain O'Brien

Age: 33

Tests: 21

Bowling: 67 wickets @ 35 with a best of 6-75

Batting: 169 runs @ 6.5 with a top score of 19 not out.

O'Brien made his test debut against Australia in 2005. He has also played 10 one-day and four Twenty20 internationals.