Alister, son of Craig McDermott, retires from all cricket at 29

His body ravaged by recurrent injuries, Alister chose to retire after suffering another injury-hit 12-month period.

Published : Jul 31, 2020 13:20 IST , Melbourne

Alister McDermott played 20 first-class matches, 27 List-A matches and 25 T20s in his career.
Alister McDermott played 20 first-class matches, 27 List-A matches and 25 T20s in his career.
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Alister McDermott played 20 first-class matches, 27 List-A matches and 25 T20s in his career.

Queensland fast bowler Alister McDermott, son of former Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott, has called time on his cricket career at 29. His body ravaged by recurrent injuries, he chose to retire after suffering another injury-hit 12-month period.

McDermott showed early promise, debuting as an 18-year-old in 2009 in first-class cricket and was on the verge of making the national team in 2011 after impressing for Australia A in the U.K. He went on to win Sheffield Shield and one-day titles with his State side and was a part of the title-winning Brisbane Heat team in the second edition of the Big Bash League. He won these titles before turning 22.

Injuries threatened to derail his career earlier, too, before McDermott earned back his Queensland contract in 2018-19. However, he suffered a broken arm and stress fracture which delayed his comeback to first-class cricket and eventually led to retirement.

‘Challenging time’

“The first seven months of the ’19-20 season threw an onslaught of challenges at me,” McDermott wrote on his personal website. “It was by far the most mentally challenging time during my career. In the space of two months, I went from the highs of receiving a contract to breaking the radius bone in my right arm in July during a fielding session.”

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McDermott retires with 75 first-class wickets at 24.77 in the 20 matches he played since 2009. “Then I sustained my fourth stress fracture in seven years in my lower back only months later. After a period of reflection, I knew building a family with my beautiful wife Erin, continuing my cricket coaching business and finishing my Secondary Teaching degree is what I truly wanted to do,” he said.

McDermott will get into coaching.

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