...ends a remarkable career that dates back to summer 1996.
It has been a cricket fairytale that most aspiring youngsters dream about, and if ever there was a role model to follow, there are none better than the Waringstown all rounder. Kyle’s cricket journey has had its highs and lows like any sporting career, but if one thing set him apart from his peers, then it was his adherence to a high sporting ethic, both on and off the field. Quite simply, he was a class act, and a great ambassador for cricket in Ireland.
Over the next few months there will be deserved tributes paid to Kyle McCallan, although his decision to retire while at the top of his game will surely disappoint many people, not least his national coach andIreland team mates. A loving family, GrosvenorHigh School, and Waringstown Cricket Club will be the main beneficiaries from this decision, as they are the ones who have joined with Kyle to make big sacrifices on his road to cricket stardom. But the commitment has come at a cost, not least in the time and resource given to a game that has become virtually professional at the highest level in the last five years. Looking back, Kyle may well be one of the last true amateurs to play international cricket for Ireland, as the requirements are so demanding for working cricketers. The fact that he was able to continue for so long is testimony to his focus, fitness and enthusiasm, all vital components of the Kyle McCallan package.
Statistics alone should never be used to define Kyle’s huge contribution to Irish cricket over the past thirteen years, although there are some numbers that must be highlighted. His record 226 international caps, 54 times as captain, his 3,616 aggregate runs and his 256 wickets will sit high in the archives, but what will sit even higher in the minds of true cricket followers, will be Kyle’s honourable decision to retire while still in his prime, and to resist the temptation to chase personal records that were surely there for the taking. There is no doubt he figured high in coach Phil Simmons’s plans, and looking back over the last few years, he had certainly matured into a brilliant slow bowler, and a batsman who could successfully adapt to any situation and play in any position from opener to tail-ender. He enjoyed the experience of both, and if he felt he should have been used otherwise, he sportingly kept his feelings private. His discipline and ability to motivate his fellow players were priceless, as Ireland crept up the international pecking order. His performances in the Caribbean at the 2007 Cricket World Cup earned him global recognition. It was a huge compliment to be favourably compared with the slow bowlers in other major test-playing countries, and an honour to be described as better than most of them by the fiercest of critics in the TV studios. It didn’t change Kyle McCallan as either a cricketer or as a person, as he remains a modest and endearing personality, who has won total respect from everyone who has enjoyed either his cricket or his company.
The decision to retire must have been a heart-wrenching and soul-searching decision, but his reasons are solid so is fully understandable. Only Kyle knew when it was the best time for him to stand down, and we therefore thank him as a cricketer for his massive contribution to Irish cricket. We also thank him as a person for the dignified and sporting manner in which he played the game on and off the field.
Well played Kyle McCallan, a true gentleman of Irish cricket.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
