Boyd Rankin retires from international and inter-provincial cricket
Boyd Rankin has announced his retirement from International and Interprovincial cricket following today’s North West Warriors v Northern Knights game at Bready.
The 36-year old will continue to play club cricket, however today’s news signals the end of a magnificent representative career spanning nearly 20 years. Rankin racked up more than 150 caps for Ireland as well as a couple of seasons in England colours where he played in the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2014.
He returned to the Ireland squad a couple of years later and came into the Warriors set-up after leaving Warwickshire at the end of 2018. Admitting that it had been a difficult decision, the Bready-born bowler felt that the time and place to retire felt right.
“It was always going to be a tough decision but it’s been on my mind for a while. They always say you know yourself when the time is right and I feel that it is.”
“I’m not coming away from the game completely though. I have been doing my coaching badges over the last couple of seasons and I’m keen to get more involved in that.
“I’m working with the underage players in the North West set-up and doing a bit of coaching at Lisburn too. It’s something I really enjoy and would be interested in doing more of in the future- sharing that experience with younger players.”
“There are a lot of opportunities around now- the Unions are becoming a lot more professional and there is a good pathway from clubs into the representative game.”
As for what the immediate future holds for Boyd, he has rarely made any secret of where he wanted to be when his playing days were coming to an end.
“I’ve been back on the farm for the past six months or so, and it rarely feels that I’ve been too far away.
“That’s something I’ve always enjoyed, but the plan for now is to mix the both- my partner works in Belfast so it’s almost a case of down here during the week and in Belfast at the weekend.
“I’m still looking forward to playing over the summer and helping out with the emerging players in the North West.
“I’ve enjoyed a great career and will look forward to whatever comes along next.”
