Cowan leaves Tigers to return home

Former Australia opening batsman Ed Cowan has announced his retirement from Tasmania, effective immediately.

Cowan was set to travel with his Tasmanian teammates to Alice Springs for their final Bupa Sheffield Shield match against Victoria starting Friday, but will now stay in Hobart, leaving his first-class future in doubt. 

“I told Dan Marsh and my teammates on Sunday that from a cricketing point of view I won’t be playing cricket for Tasmania next year and it’s with a very, very heavy heart that I told them,” Cowan said as he fought back tears.

“It’s time to be a family man who plays cricket rather than a cricketer with a family.

“And that’s a very hard decision to make when cricket has been your number one priority for 15 years.

“But times change I guess and it’s for a purely personal reason that we’re going to be moving back to Sydney.

“I’m very sad but I’m confident it’s he right thing to do.”

The news comes a surprise after Cowan had agreed to a new one-year dear with Tasmania less than a month ago.

And the opening batsman understands the move back to his place of birth could end first-class career, saying he hasn't spoken to Cricket NSW and could end up playing Sydney club cricket next season. 

However, Cowan says he still has a desire to play Test cricket, but for now it's family first. 

The 32-year-old finishes his time with Tasmania in third place on this season’s Bupa Sheffield Shield run-scorers tally with 815 runs and four hundreds, including twin tons against South Australia in the first match following the tragic passing of Phillip Hughes.

Cowan has played 18 Tests for Australia, making his debut on Boxing Day against India in 2011, scoring 68 in his first innings in the Baggy Green. 

The highlight of the left-hander’s international career came in his eighth match where he scored his maiden Test match century against the world No.1 ranked Test nation South Africa featuring an attack that featured Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel. 

Cowan scores his maiden Test ton

Born in Sydney, Cowan made his first-class debut playing for Oxford in 2003, and two years later represented NSW Blues in Sheffield Shield cricket for the first time.

A move to Tasmania for the 2009-10 season paid immediate dividends. The erudite southpaw finished the season with 957 runs at 53.16, including a career best 225 against the West End Redbacks in his first match at his adopted home.

Four hundreds in as many matches in 2011 put his name up in lights prior to India’s 2011-12 tour, and instead of watching the Boxing Day Test from the MCG stands as he had planned, Cowan was thrust in to the middle for his Test debut.

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