SYDNEY: Tasmania batter Alex Doolan, who played four Tests for Australia, has announced his retirement. He finishes with 6824 runs in first-class cricket, of which 5978 came in the Sheffield Shield putting him eighth on the list for Tasmania. His best Sheffield Shield season came in 2012-13 as he made a push for national honours by scoring 876 runs at 51.52. His four Tests came in 2014 – all away from home –– and he got within touching distance of a century on debut when he fell for 89 against South Africa at Centurion. That would remain his one half-century and he lost his place after the first Test against Pakistan in October 2014. The season after losing his Test spot was a lean one where he averaged just 18.94 but in subsequent campaigns he was a consistent contributor for Tasmania and made his career-best 247 in the 2017-18 summer and last season scored twin centuries in the match against South Australia. However, with the emergence of some new batting talent he became a fringe player this season although was handed a hasty recall for what became his last first-class match when he was summoned to Melbourne on the morning of the game against Victoria after Tim Paine withdrew through illness. He was still collecting his luggage at the airport when the innings started. “It wasn’t tough at all really,” Doolan said of the decision to retire. “I had two weeks off over Christmas while the Big Bash was going on, and it was just a bit too good to refuse, so I made the call then and I’ve been very comfortable with it ever since.” “I’ve probably come into the last three or four seasons thinking maybe [it will be my last] you just never know. But selection definitely didn’t sway it at all. Once you’ve reached over 30 and you’re no longer in the frame to play at the highest level you’re always on borrowed time a little bit. “I thought I was contributing really well to the team but the team has also progressed to a point now where there are a lot of young guys coming through, filling those spaces and looking to take the next step as well, so you can’t play forever, and sometimes it’s just time to get out of the way and let the next crop come through.”