Melbourne: Australian one-day cricket specialist Michael Bevan Wednesday announced his retirement from the game after failing to make it to the World Cup squad. A key member of the World Cup winning team in 1999 and 2003, Bevan said injuries and exclusion from the 30-member World Cup probables list had prompted the decision.

“I felt that I just could not play to the standard that I would like and I do not think that I could have played to the standard that my teammates would have liked,” the 36-year-old batsman said.

Once regarded as the best limited-overs batsman in the world, Bevan admitted he was hoping for a berth in the Australian squad.

“The World Cup was something that I always wanted to be a part of and I still felt I was a good enough player to be a part of the team.

“(But) it got to the stage where injuries and pain were holding back my motivation, and it got to the stage where I was finding it hard to get up for matches and that was probably a pretty clear indication that it was time to move on,” said the player who has had to cope with hip and knee problems.

Bevan made his ODI debut in 1994 and played in 232 matches, scoring 6912 runs at an average of 53.58. He also scored six centuries. He was dropped from the side in 2004 as selectors looked to pass over the baton to the new generation.” (PTI)