Shaun Tait has every reason to slip back into the mental and physical exhaustion mode. The Australian selection committee has turned on its head and left the fast bowler ruing his missed opportunities in the IPL.
While Cricket Australia cleared Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds for the IPL 2 season in South Africa after the one day series against Pakistan in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, they held back the likes of James Hopes, Shane Watson and Shaun Tait on grounds that they were suffering lack of fitness over injuries and hence, being preserved for Australia’s commitments such as the Ashes and the ICC World Twenty20 championships.
However, Tait has received confirmation that his central contract with Australia has been terminated and now he would have a long wait by the telephone hoping for a sudden recall. A pretty frustrated Tait broke out about the possibility of disappearing from the sport altogether but stated that he would continue to work hard on his bowling. He also alluded to Chris Gayle’s comments about the death of Test cricket and the predominance of Twenty20 cricket in perhaps an indication that his further non-selection for Australia would force him into an early retirement and like Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, would not focus all his energy on playing for the IPL team.
Tait would have earned 375,000 US dollars if he had played for the Rajasthan Royals who picked him at this year’s auctions. As it turns out, Tait is now twiddling his thumbs in frustration.
