New Delhi: Senior Saurashtra batter Sheldon Jackson on Tuesday retired from all forms of cricket after his team was knocked by Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 quarterfinals played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.
The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Jackson has brought curtains on his cricketing career, which spanned for 19 years after making his first appearance in a List A match for Saurashtra in 2006. He played 106 first-class matches, 86 List A games, and made 84 T20 appearances, accumulating 11,887 runs across formats.
He was a prolific run-scorer against the red ball, accounting for 7283 runs in 174 innings at an average of 45.80 with the help of 39 fifties and 21 centuries with his highest score being 186. He kept wickets for Saurashtra in the limited-overs formats. He was a good fielder in the red-ball format as Sagar Jogiyani donned the gloves behind the wickets.
He was part of Saurashtra’s double Ranji Trophy victorious campaigns in 2019-20 and 2022-23 and Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022. In the 2019-20, he was the top-scorer for Saurashtra with 809 runs in 18 innings at 50.56.
The decision to retire from professional cricket comes after the player quit limited-overs cricket last month after making 2792 runs in 84 List A innings at 36.25, having notched 14 fifties and nine centuries.
He also played nine IPL matches for Kolkata Knight Riders between 2017 and 2022, though he couldn’t make a strong impact in the limited opportunities to justify his domestic batting prowess.
Congratulations on an incredible 15-year journey in domestic cricket, Sheldon!
You have left a legacy that young cricketers will look up to. Wishing you all the best for your next chapter, both on and off the field @ShelJackson27 #SheldonJackson pic.twitter.com/XdmvA7tvzi— 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐣𝐚 🇮🇳 (@iSunilTaneja) February 11, 2025
Jackson scored 14 and 27 in his final FC outing as Saurashtra lost by an innings and 98 runs against neighbours Gujarat. Gujarat skipper Chintan Gaja claimed four wickets to inflict a below-par batting collapse of Saurashtra for 216. Jaymeet Patel (103) and Urvil Patel (140) slammed brilliant centuries to power Gujarat to 295-run lead in the first innings.
Priyajitsing Jadeja (4 for 32) and Arzan Nagwaswalla (3 for 54) were clinical with the ball to orchestrated Saurashtra’s batting skittle, bundling them out for 197 in 62.1 overs.
Mumbai and Vidarbha will meet in the second semifinal after outplaying Haryana and Tamil Nadu, respectively, in the quarterfinal stage. This will be a repeat of last year’s Ranji Trophy final match.
Veteran Saurashtra cricketer Sheldon Jackson, 38, has retired from all forms of cricket. His illustrious 19-year career included impressive first-class and List A performances, culminating in two Ranji Trophy wins with Saurashtra. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
