Australian leaves Yorkshire and retires from cricket aged 29

The Australian-born seamer has spent the last two years with Yorkshire but has struggled to nail down a regular place in the first team, largely due to injuries.

Edwards’ contract only ran until the end of this year anyway, so his departure from Yorkshire has been public knowledge for a while.

But the fact he has retired altogether has come as a surprise, though he has given some context to his decision when speaking to Yorkshire’s in-house media team.

In a candid interview, he said: “As my time at Yorkshire comes to an end, so too does my career as a professional cricketer.

“The injury I suffered at Lord’s at the end of April – a recurrence of the left foot injury which happened at the end of last year – was the straw that broke the camel’s back or, you might say, the camel’s foot.

“Unfortunately, it just never healed properly and went again during our Championship defeat against Middlesex.

“It had sort of been lingering since January, but it hadn’t been bad at all. I actually thought it was something else, a tight muscle or tendonitis or something.

“But, by the third day at Lord’s, I struggled to walk over the road from the hotel to the ground.

I had painkillers to get me out there. But I was in the middle of an over and said to Ben Coad at mid-off, ‘My foot’s broken here’.

Ben Coad has had his fair share of injuries too, and he was the player Mickey Edwards confided in back on that fateful April day at Lord's. (Image: Ray Spencer.)

“He told me to go off, and I knew it was more than likely going to be my last spell.

“So much so, I was in floods of tears on the bathroom floor in the dressing room at Lord’s.

“But, reflecting back, my last game was at Lord’s, which was a bucket list thing to do.

“I’ve never been dismissed at the Home of Cricket – that’s my claim to fame – and my last wicket I got was Max Holden, the brother-in-law of one of my best mates.

Mickey Edwards knows Max Holden well, so it was fitting that the seamer's last wicket was that of the Middlesex top order batsman. (Image: PA.)

“And I feel at peace with my decision. I’m ready to get onto the next chapter of my life now.”

As for what that next chapter entails, Edwards said: “I will go home at the end of October and while I’ll still play club cricket for Manly, I haven’t got the drive for pro cricket any more.

“That’s not what people may want to hear, but I’ve had so many injuries throughout my career that I don’t have the drive to come back and do it all again.

“I’ve been doing quite a lot of work experience upstairs in the Yorkshire offices since June. I started off doing some stuff in commercial, sponsorships and partnerships.

“Then they needed a hand in accounts, so I’ve been doing that for three months now.

“I will be working as a labourer for the summer back home whilst playing club cricket, which I’m fit enough to do.

“Then, myself and my girlfriend, Katey, are going travelling for a couple of months next year. We’re thinking Vietnam and maybe Japan. Then I’ll go home and find a real job.

“I don’t really have a clue yet what that will be. It’s been good fun taste-testing a few different things and seeing what I enjoy, and I’m grateful to Yorkshire for giving me that chance.”

Discussing his career as a whole, Edwards said: “There are times when I’ve been looking at it through a different lens, one of missed opportunity.

“But when you put down all the things I wanted to achieve in a career, I’ve done it.

“I played for New South Wales in one-day and four-day cricket, something I’m very proud of.

“I played for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash as well. I came over here to Yorkshire and moved my life here, which has been amazing.

“I was on the field for Australia in a Test Match at the SCG as 12th man and had the crowd chanting, ‘Hey Mickey’ at me.

“That’s a bucket list moment if ever there was one.

Steve Smith was Mickey Edwards' captain on the day the seamer was on the field for Australia at the SCG, and he loved the bowler's interactions with the crowd. (Image: PA.)

“The proudest moment of my career was being able to play in the game when my brother, Jack, debuted for New South Wales and I presented him with his cap.

“Those are the things you look back on with most happiness, it’s not so much the playing and the wickets you take, it’s things like that which make yourself and your family proud.”

As for his spell at Yorkshire, Edwards reflected: “From a cricketing point of view, the last two years couldn’t have gone less to plan.

“It’s gone completely wrong with the amount of time I’ve been available for.

“But, from a life point of view, making friends and the experience, it couldn’t have gone any better.

“This club is an amazing place, it really is. I can’t speak highly enough of the people here, taking me in and making me feel very, very welcome.

“The whole purpose of me coming here was to get out of my comfort zone and meet some new people and I’ve done just that.

“It’s been the most exciting two years of my life, I would say. I’ll look back on these two years with a lot of happiness.

“Watching Hilly (George Hill) get capped the other day was an exciting moment for all of us and to see someone like that flourish was a great moment.

George Hill scored an unbeaten half century for Yorkshire against Northamptonshire on the final day of the season, having been capped on the morning the game began. (Image: Ray Spencer.)

“It made me feel part of something very special, and I’ve made friends for life. I can’t wait to see him do well.

“But that’s the same for all the lads. This squad is going places. In my mind, there’s no doubt about that.

“It’s really clicked for us over the last couple of months, and the morale around the place is unbelievable.

“I only see it going one way, which is exciting for the club.”