Steven Croft announces retirement from professional cricket

Steven Croft announces retirement from professional cricket

Lancashire Cricket all-rounder Steven Croft has announced his retirement from professional cricket.

The 39-year-old retired from first-class and List A cricket after the summer of 2023, signing a T20-only deal ahead of this season's campaign. However, Croft has now confirmed he will retire from professional cricket completely and join the club's coaching staff full-time with immediate effect.

Croft, who was given a testimonial year in 2018 and officially captained the club for two seasons, made 600 appearances for the Red Rose across all formats and made his debut for Lancashire in 2005. During that time he hit 19,183 runs and took 199 wickets for the county.

WATCH: Steven Croft reflects on his career in Lancashire in the LancsTV studio

He hit the winning runs to secure the County Championship title for the first time in 77 years, on the fourth day against Somerset at Taunton in 2011. Four years later, Croft led Lancashire Lightning to their first T20 Blast title at Edgbaston in 2015, beating Northamptonshire Steelbacks in the final.

Between June 2006 and July 2018, Croft played 148 consecutive T20 matches for Lancashire, which is an English record. He ends his career as Lancashire's leading T20 run scorer with 5,486 runs.

Steven Croft said: As a boy I dreamed of playing one game for Lancashire, eventually it became over 600. So after just over two decades of playing for the club I have decided to retire as a player.

I can say with certainty that I have achieved my dream and more and what a ride it has been. As well as the games, runs, wickets and catches I have played with some of my heroes and many greats of the game. There have been so many highlights too. Winning the County Championship in 2011 will always stay with me. The T20 Blast in 2015 too, what an amazing night that was! But also getting my county cap and being named club captain were special moments.

There are so many people I want to thank, not just during my time as a professional cricketer, but long before my career even began. Firstly, I want to thank my parents, who cared for me, believed in me and supported me. You found the energy to take me to matches and support me as a young player and forgave me for every ball I threw through the windscreen of your car! I am eternally grateful.

To everyone at Blackpool CC, my junior years had a huge effect on where I ended up as a cricketer. Thanks to John Stanworth and Stephen Titchard who led the newly formed Lancashire Academy in 2003 and believed in me and prepared me for what was to come in my career.

To all my teammates over the years, you have been like my brothers. You are some of the best men I have ever met and I cannot express how much fun it is to share locker rooms and fields with all of you, here and abroad. I have been fortunate to work with some incredible coaches who have invested so much time and effort over the years, I have appreciated every single one of you.

WATCH: Relive some of Steven Croft's highlights in a Lancashire shirt

One of the best things about this club is the fans. I have always felt incredible support from the Lancashire members and supporters throughout my career and I want to say a massive thank you to you all. I hope you all know that every time I have stepped onto the pitch I have put my heart and soul into the Red Rose.

To Lancashire CCC, I am your biggest supporter and thank you for giving that back to me. Old Trafford is such a special and iconic stadium and it is full of hard working and special individuals who deserve nothing but good things.

For almost my entire professional career I have been blessed to have the best person in the world by my side. I cannot express in words how much I owe my wife, not only for letting me pursue my dream for so long, but also for diving right in with me. She has traveled with me to different countries, put her career on hold, raised two beautiful little girls while I played, enjoyed the highs, the many lows and supported me through every moment. You have brought me back from the hard times and given me the strength to come back again and again. Thank you for being on this ride with me, I am so happy.

Finally I would like to thank the PCA for all their support during my professional career. They support all the players in this country brilliantly and were very happy to have them there.

So, it’s time to let go and jump into the next chapter. My new dream is to help the next generation of players on their journey and help them get into a Lancashire or England shirt, whilst having a great time doing it. It’s a great game, one I will always love and one I am lucky enough to stay in. Thanks for the memories.

Mark Chilton, Lancashires Director of Cricket, addedOn behalf of everyone at the club I would like to congratulate Steven on an incredible career with Lancashire.

Steven embodies everything that is good about this club. He is an outstanding individual who always puts the team first and anyone who has seen him knows that Steven puts his heart and soul into every game and his record speaks for itself. To be such an influential member of our team and to contribute to so many match winning performances – over such a long period of time is something he should be very proud of.

He played a major role in winning the County Championship in 2011 and leading the team to the T20 Blast title in 2015, and I know how much those trophies still mean to him. He was a model professional and one of the hardest working players I know.

Players like Steven don’t come around very often and while we will miss his skills and experience on the pitch, we are delighted that he will continue to play a key role in the further development of the great young players we have at Emirates Old Trafford, playing in the first team, second team and academy.

Even over the last 12 months I have been very impressed with how quickly he has grown into coaching and the impact he has had in a short space of time. I look forward to seeing how he develops these skills in the next chapter of his career.”