Westwood knew it was right to retire
A WEIGHT being lifted from his shoulders is how Ian Westwood described his decision to retire from cricket with immediate effect last week.
So, rather than being in the trenches for Warwickshire’s battle to stay in Division One of the County Championship, Westwood will now use the rest of the summer to work out exactly what his future holds.
After a 15-year playing career spent entirely with his home county, including two seasons as captain, he departs first-class cricket having accrued 8,077 runs at an average of 33.10.
The 34-year-old only played in four Championship matches this term, although he did demonstrate some of his trademark grit one last time with a gutsy 153 in the battling draw with Surrey in April.
While the timing of his announcement may come as a surprise to some, for a man who relied on his temperament and stubbornness at the crease to score runs, it makes all the sense in the world.
“I’ve got no regrets at all,” said Westwood. “It’s a tough decision but once the retirement word starts going round in your head, it doesn’t take much for it to keep cropping up. Although I wanted to play for as long as I could, it was becoming more and more of a struggle physically and mentally.
“I didn’t want to not be able to give 100 per cent out on the pitch; that wouldn’t have been fair on the team.
“I decided there wasn’t much point in waiting around, so retired now rather than waiting for the end of the season or anything. It definitely feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
Having been on hand to be a sounding board for Jim Troughton’s side in their draw with Lancashire in the immediate aftermath of his announcement week, little has changed just yet for Westwood.
He is keen to stay in cricket and plans to dabble in both coaching and umpiring for the remainder of the summer.
“I’m staying on at Warwickshire until the end of the season, helping out with the coaching – a bit with the firstteam, a bit with the second XI and then some with the U19s and academy lads,” he explained.
“I’ve been umpiring in the Birmingham League, which I’ve been enjoying, so I’ll carry on with that and keep as many options open as I can.
“Hopefully then I’ll make a long-term decision at some point at the end of September.”
Westwood won two County Championships with Warwickshire, in 2004 and 2012, and although his stint as skipper from 2009 to 2010 wasn’t laden with trophies, he battled valiantly to keep the county in Division One.
His contributions may largely go unsung, but for a man who always put the team first, that seems somehow fitting.
“In the grand scheme of things and the big picture, I’m just a small cog in the club’s history,” mused Westwood.
“The club is the same – players come and go but Warwickshire will move on and keep going.
“I’m proud to have had the chance to be captain. That can’t be taken away from me and I’ll always have a place up on the board.
“I’m very grateful to Warwickshire and just privileged to have played here for so long.”