‘Made memories I could’ve only dreamt of’: Dan Christian to retire from Cricket after BBL 12

Australian veteran and Sydney Sixers fan favorite Dan Christian has announced his retirement from cricket. As he brings down the on a 11-year long international career.

The 39-year old took to social media on Saturday to confirm this Big Bash season would be his last at the end of the Sixers’ finals campaign as the team searches for its third title in four seasons.

T20 specialist Dan Christian has played 405 T20s amassing 5809 runs and taking 280 wickets. Selection permitting, he will have at least four more matches with Sixers guaranteed two shots at reaching the BBL final having finished in the top two of the regular season.

Dan Christian announce retirement from cricket

“Yesterday at training I told by Sydney Sixers teammates that I’ll be retiring from playing at the end of the BBL season,” Christian posted on Twitter on Saturday morning. “Sydney Smash tonight, followed by our last round game against the Hurricanes, and then the finals.

Daniel Christian has played over 400 T20 games. Apart from Sydney Sixers, he has represented three other teams – the Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades – over the last decade in the Big Bash competition.

Dan Christian and his Stellar T20 career

Daniel Christian become a global T20 gun-for-hire after spending most of his career in and around the Australia team without really earning a permanent place. An allrounder who can bat in the top six and provide a valuable extra seam option, Christian started at New South Wales, moved to South Australia and then shifted to Victoria ahead of the 2013-14 season. 

Christian has enjoyed success all around the world over the last decade as his career became increasingly focused on T20. Since 2010, he has won nine domestic T20 titles, most recently the 2020-21 BBL with Sixers, two years after he helped Melbourne Renegades to the prize.

Those two BBL campaigns showed the impact Christian can have: in 2018-19 for Renegades he made 254 runs and claimed 15 wickets (including being player of the match in the low-scoring final) then in 2020-21 hit 272 runs with a strike-rate of 182.55 and claimed 15 wickets.

On top of that, Christian has been a valuable player for several IPL franchises. After representing RCB in 2013, Dan Christian was back to the RCB fold in the 2021 edition of the league. The Australian brought with him a rich experience of playing over 200 T20 games. Christian has represented the Delhi Capitals, Deccan Chargers besides being part of the Rising Pune Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad sides.

He’s also made 43 first-class appearances for Australia and last represented the country in 2021.

Also read: Steve Smith brings up maiden BBL in style to break T20 shackles

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