Shane Watson has retired from Test cricket, admitting he hasn't achieved everything he hoped to in the game, but says he no longer has the will to reclaim his spot in the Australian team.
An emotional Watson, who on Sunday was also ruled out of the one-day series against England with another injury to his troublesome right calf, told teammates of his decision early the same morning.
It is the end to a disastrous winter for the two-time Allan Border Medal winner, who was dropped after the opening Ashes Test in Cardiff and forced to watch on as Australia meekly handed back the urn with a 3-2 series loss.
The luckless allrounder admits the retirement thoughts began to surface during that difficult period and he wrestled with them daily for a month before everything crystalised for him this week.
The much-maligned Watson has spent his career fighting injury, public perceptions and the high expectations he put on himself.
Despite a batting averaging of 35, four centuries, 24 half-centuries and 3731 runs as well as taking 75 wickets at 33 from his 59 Tests, Watson admits he didn't achieve "all the things I dreamed of achieving in Test cricket".
"Averaging 50 with the bat and in the 20s with the ball - that's obviously the dream of an allrounder," he said.
"Obviously I didn't get anywhere near that but I do know I gave it everything I possibly could to get the best out of myself.
"That's what I'm most proud of."
Watson spoke with family and close friends before ultimately making the decision to walk away.
"For the last month or something it's been something I've thought about a lot," he said in London prior to boarding a flight home to Sydney.
"I've been through a lot of different waves of emotion as well, of what the right thing is for myself, my family and most importantly the team as well.
"Over the last couple of days there was a lot of clarity of what the right decision was.
"I just know that I've given everything I possibly can to get the best out of myself (and) it's the right time to move on.
"I don't have that real fight in me - especially in Test cricket knowing the lengths physically I have to go through as well as mentally and technically to be at my best again in Test cricket."
Despite being overtaken by Mitch Marsh as Australia's first-choice Test allrounder during the Ashes, Watson would have been a strong chance to earn a recall, if fit, during October's two-Test tour of Bangladesh.
With Australia already losing Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers to retirement following the Ashes and vice-captain David Warner struggling to recover from a broken thumb in time for the first Test on October 9, captain Steve Smith faces a dearth of experienced heads in his team.
Watson admits that had played a major role in his flip-flopping on the decision in recent weeks, as he spoke coach Darren Lehmann and chief selector Rod Marsh.
"That's been one of the biggest challenges in my own mind to be able to work through," he said.
"But I just knew with the young group of allrounders coming through, which is very exciting, and where I'm at, knowing what it takes for me to be at my best in Test cricket, I just know that spirit just isn't there anymore.
"Boof (Lehmann), Steve Smith and Rod totally understood where I was coming through.
"The experience side of things was the major reason why I was considering staying on.
"But I just knew in the end I wasn't going to be doing a service to the group by just hanging around."
The 34-year-old will continue to play Twenty20 and one-day cricket and has his eye on the World T20 tournament in India in March next year.
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