BBL 2023 Sixers vs Heat
Cult Australian cricket hero Dan Christian has wept as he reflects on his magnificent career.
The 39-year-old announced last week that he would retire from the sport at the end of the season, which came Thursday night as the Sixers were eliminated by the Heat in the BBL preliminary round, in this which Adam Gilchrist described as one of the biggest upsets in league history.
Christian made it just 7 before being beaten by Spencer Johnson, before a spirited run from Michael Neser guided the Heat to a stunning four-wicket victory and booked their place in the final against Perth on Saturday.
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Christian was one of Australia’s most prolific T20 talents. He played 409 T20s, scored just under 6000 runs, took almost 300 wickets and won nine tournaments.
Speaking after the match, Christian wept but spoke like a man more than ready to settle into life after cricket.
“The main thing is to be able to catch up with people and say I don’t have cricket,” he told former New South Wales team-mate Trent Copeland on Channel 7.
“I’m going to be able to reunite with my family and friends and attend weddings and birthdays – all those things I’ve been missing for the past 20 years.”
Christian’s career at BBL spanned stints with the Heat, Hurricanes, Renegades and Sixers. He played 137 BBL matches, scoring 2098 carries at an average of 22.32, while also taking 93 wickets at an average of 27.22.
Immediately following Thursday night’s game, several Heat teammates and opponents made sure to speak with Christian.
He said he thought about the decision for months before finally pulling the trigger.
“I guess I’ll have a few months now…or the rest of my life, really, to think about my career,” he said.
“I guess it’s still a little raw now that we lost that game – we were looking forward to… playing as well as we could and winning it and going back and trying to get another chance to the Scorchers and try to win that title.
“I’ve been thinking about retiring for the last two months or so. It’s been a really good run.”
Christian also played 20 ODIs and 23 T20Is for Australia.
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