Dan Christian to retire from cricket at end of 2022/23 Big Bash

Christian has played 405 T20s, scoring 5,809 runs at a strike rate of 138.17 and taking 280 wickets, and lifted nine domestic titles around the world

Dan Christian is retiring from cricket at the end of the 2022/23 Big Bash.

With the Sydney Sixers assured of a top-two finish, and therefore two shots at reaching the BBL12 final, Christian has the opportunity to make at least four more appearances before he hangs up his bat. A tenth domestic T20 title also remains on the cards.

The 39-year-old allrounder has played 405 T20s, scoring 5,809 runs at a strike rate of 138.17 and taking 280 wickets.

Of those T20s, 23 came for Australia, yielding 118 runs and 13 wickets. His final T20I came in Mirpur against Bangladesh in August 2021, over 11 years after he made his international debut.

^{Christian (centre) captained Notts Outlaws to two T20 Blast titles [Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images]}

Since 2010, he has lifted nine domestic titles in the format, including three BBL gongs - Brisbane Heat (2013), Melbourne Renegades (2019) and Sydney Sixers (2021) - and trophies with Hampshire (T20 Cup, 2010), South Australia (Big Bash, 2011), Notts Outlaws (T20 Blast, 2017 and 2020), Trinbago Knight Riders (CPL, 2017), and Jozi Stars (SA Super League, 2018).

He is the all-time leading appearance maker in the Big Bash, playing 134 matches to date, as well as lying 12th in the overall wicket-taking charts and 13th in the run-scoring charts.

In the T20 Blast, meanwhile, he captained Middlesex and Nottinghamshire on 83 occasions and boasts a win percentage of 63.12, the highest of anyone to skipper more than 50 matches.

Outside of T20 cricket, Christian played 83 first-class matches, scoring 3,783 runs at 32.68 and taking 163 wickets, and a further 120 List A matches, scoring 2,844 runs and taking 280 wickets.

In the latter format, he featured 20 times for Australia, most recently in 2021, scoring 273 runs and taking 20 wickets.

^{Christian won Big Bash titles with Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers [Matt King/Cameron Spencer/Darrian Traynor/Getty Images]}

Confirming his impending retirement on Twitter, Christian wrote: "Yesterday at training I told my Sydney Sixers teammates that I'll be retiring from playing at the end of the BBL season.

"Hopefully we can go all the way again this season, but regardless, it's been a great run. I've achieved things and made some memories that I could have only dreamt of as a kid.

"What I didn't expect to learn as  a kid though, is how many people I was going to come in contact with that have had an influence on my career and ended up becoming lifelong friends. I'm looking forward to now having the time to catch up with you all and not having to use the excuse: "Sorry I've got cricket".

"Go the Sixers!"

Some news 😁 pic.twitter.com/5xxxkYNQGt

— Dan Christian (@danchristian54) January 20, 2023