Steven Finn: Former England fast bowler announces retirement

Steven Finn (left) was part of England's Ashes-winning squads in 2010-11, 2013 and 2015

Former England fast bowler Steven Finn has announced his retirement from professional cricket following an 18-year career.

The 34-year-old right-armer took 125 wickets at an average of 30.40 in 36 Test appearances between 2010 and 2016.

He made his first-class debut for Middlesex in June 2005, but has not featured in red-ball cricket since July last year because of a knee injury.

Finn also played 69 one-day internationals and 21 T20s for England.

He moved to Sussex in 2022 and retires having taken 570 first-class wickets in 164 games with best figures of 9-37.

Bowler admits 'defeat' in injury battle

"I have been fighting a battle with my body for the last 12 months and have admitted defeat to it," Finn said.

"I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to play cricket as my vocation since I made my debut for Middlesex in 2005. The journey hasn't always been smooth, but I have loved it nonetheless.

"To have played 126 games for England, including 36 Tests, far surpassed what I dreamed of. I want to thank Sussex Cricket for their support over the last 12 months especially and for welcoming me wholeheartedly into the club at the beginning of last season.

"It really is a great place to play cricket and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to play more of a part on the field since joining the club.

"I retire with some amazing memories with England, Middlesex and Sussex, shared with fantastic people. Those will live with me forever."

• From the Ashes podcast: Finn reflects on his England career

Early breakthrough

Finn, standing at 6ft 7in tall, first played county cricket as a 16-year-old.

After a strong season in 2009 in which he took 53 Championship wickets for Middlesex, he was called up as injury cover for England's winter tour of Bangladesh.

Finn made his debut in Chittagong in March 2010, taking four wickets across the two Tests as England won the series 2-0.

That same summer, he played all six home Tests and had his maiden five-wicket haul (5-42) in a victory over Bangladesh at Old Trafford.

His height and bounce was a good back-up to the new ball duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad along with spinner Graeme Swann.

Ashes highs and lows

After two years out of the side, Steven Finn came back to take Test-best figures of 6-79 v Australia at Edgbaston in 2015

Ultimately, Finn's Test career will probably be remembered for contests against Australia.

He took 6-125 on his Ashes debut in the first Test in Brisbane in the 2010-11 tour and featured in the innings victory in the second Test in Adelaide.

But following defeat in Perth, Finn was dropped in favour of Tim Bresnan for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and was on the sidelines as England won their first series down under for 24 years.

When the Australians toured in 2013, Finn played in the first Test victory at Trent Bridge but was then left out.

He did go on the subsequent return tour to Australia, but did not play a single Test as England were thrashed 5-0, and he was sent home before the ODIs with limited-overs coach Ashley Giles describing him as not selectable due to technical issues with his bowling.

It was not until July 2015 that Finn returned to the Test team for the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston with the series tied at 1-1.

From there, he produced his Test-best figures of 6-79 in Australia's second innings as England won the match by seven wickets and went on to win the series.

Finn's law

Steve Finn's habit of knocking the stumps in his delivery stride eventually caused a change in cricket's laws

Finn's final Test came, where it had started, in Bangladesh in October 2016 as England slumped to a 108-run defeat.

But perhaps one lasting memory of his bowling career was his habit in the early years of brushing the stumps in his delivery stride.

In a Test against South Africa at Headingley in 2012, he was denied the wicket of Proteas captain Graeme Smith after knocking the stumps as the umpires called a dead ball.

A few months later, the rules were changed and any wicket taken after the bowler had knocked the stumps would instead be a no-ball.

Finn's final appearance in an England shirt was an ODI against South Africa in May 2017.

Appropriately enough his last first-class match was at Lord's, after having left Middlesex - where he had won the Championship in 2016 - he returned with new county Sussex.