Australia news March 10, 2015

Cowan to leave Tasmania for Sydney

 

Ed Cowan has called time on his six-season stint with Tasmania and will move back to Sydney to focus on his family, leaving his first-class future uncertain.

"I told Dan Marsh and my teammates on Sunday that I won't be playing cricket for Tasmania next year and it's with a very, very heavy heart that I told them," Cowan said. "It's time to be a family man who plays cricket rather than a cricketer with a family.

"And that's a very hard decision to make when cricket has been your number one priority for 15 years. But times change I guess and it's for a purely personal reason that we're going to be moving back to Sydney. I'm very sad but I'm confident it's the right thing to do."

Last winter Cowan signed a one-year deal with the Tigers on the condition he and his family were allowed to relocate partly to Sydney for personal reasons. He had also been in talks with New South Wales about returning as a contracted player with his home state, but chose ultimately to stay with Tasmania after they accepted his unusual terms.

Cowan is the third-highest run-getter this Shield season, with 815 from nine games at an average of 47.94 and four centuries. He has spoken of a reinvigorated game and demonstrated a more aggressive style of play than had become his custom, but the pressures of spreading cricket and home life across two states have led him to leave the place where he was able to make the most of his ability.

Cowan debuted for his home state New South Wales in January 2005 but could not hold down a regular spot. It was the move to Tasmania in 2009-10 that brought him success and eventually an international run that lasted 18 Tests. Cowan represented Tasmania in 53 first-class matches and scored 4085 runs at 44.40, with 13 centuries.