David Willey considered missing World Cup on tournament eve

David Willey ended his international career by claiming his 100th ODI wicket in England’s win over Pakistan in Kolkata – then revealed he had considered withdrawing from the World Cup until the day the team flew to India at the end of September.

Willey announced before England’s defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad last week that he would leave international cricket after this tournament at the age of 33. He was told in September that he had not been offered a central contract for 2023-24, then learned he was the only member of the World Cup squad without an offer.

He was furious and soon decided he was no longer interested in feeling like “a third wheel” as a fringe player. He said the constant uncertainty over his schedule had taken a toll on him, his wife and their two children, and so chose to “take control.”

Willey started the World Cup running the drinks for England, but replaced Sam Curran for their fourth match, a 229-run defeat to South Africa in Mumbai, and has played every match since. He finished the tournament with 11 wickets at 23.54, second only to Adil Rashid in the England team, and signed off with 3 for 56 in his 10 overs.

“It was mixed emotions,” Willey said. “My time is up…but it is with deep regret. Anyone watching here has probably watched the way I went about my business and [seen that I am] I’m probably playing the best cricket of my career. I’m 33 years old, I’m in better shape than ever.

“One of the reasons I wasn’t offered a contract was because they were going in a different direction after the World Cup. I don’t know why. [they are]. It’s been a while now…I don’t really know where I stand with England and it’s taken its toll and is becoming very tiring. “

Willey believes he could have played a valuable role for England in the T20 World Cup next June if he had been offered a contract. “[If there is] an injury or two, they’re going to bring in someone who has very little or no World Cup experience,” he said.

“Never say never, but right now I’m very confident [in] my decision that today was my last cricket match for England. Do I want to go to the Caribbean and have a drink, not knowing where I am, and feel like a third wheel again – which is exactly how I felt when I arrived at Lord’s, being the only one without a contract. ? Probably not, so I’m done.”

Willey said he had doubts about whether to go to India after learning he was the only member of the team without a central contract: “I wasn’t sure if I would make it to the World Cup, even at the eleventh hour. The morning we met at Lord’s, I still wasn’t sure whether to make the trip or not.

He added: “From that moment on, he [retirement] It was something that concerned me. It’s not just that I wasn’t offered a contract; that’s how valued I feel as an England player, when I look at the list of other guys who have contracts… I decided the time has come for me to stop that.”

Willey removed both Pakistan openers – Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman – in his new spell on Saturday, then returned to have Agha Salman caught at mid-off to become the 15th Englishman to reach 100 ODI wickets. He also became the second England men’s player after Alastair Cook to win the player of the match award in his final international appearance.

“On the phone to my wife this morning, she said, ‘Come on, just get to 100 wickets. That would be a good way to finish,'” he said. “Doing this was a good way for me personally [to sign off]”.

He said he wanted to leave international cricket on his own terms and hoped he had proven Rob Key – who as chief executive was ultimately responsible for central contract deals – wrong. “Keysy said to me, ‘I hope you can prove me wrong.’ Maybe I did in the last few games,” Willey said.

“The moment [of his retirement announcement], people may have looked at it and disapproved of my timing there. But for me personally, there aren’t many opportunities you can do without [international] cricket on your terms, and I really wanted to enjoy my last three games of cricket [for England] and playing without looking over my shoulder, thinking, “One bad performance and I’m out.” »

Willey will continue to play domestic and franchise cricket. He captains Northamptonshire in the T20 Blast and has a contract with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for the ILT20 in January-February. He is also likely to be retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and Welsh Fire in the Hundred.