VETERAN batsman Graeme Hick has finally called time on his long and illustrious career at the age of 42.

The former England international’s future had been the subject of debate for the last couple of seasons but Hick steadfastly refused to consider retirement as he felt he still had much to offer Worcestershire.

However, the Zimbabwe-born player, who was one of the most prolific and destructive batsmen of his generation and has scored 136 first class centuries, has now decided the time is right to step away from the sport.

During a career which began in 1983 Hick has scored 41,112 runs in 526 matches at an average of 52.23, with 294 innings of 50-plus in first class matches.

Hick, who made his Worcestershire debut in the last game of the 1984 season and since then has beaten almost every batting record in the history of the club, was unfairly labelled as a ’flat track bully’.

That was partly as a result of his perceived failure to transfer his county form to the international arena with his adopted nation.

However, his performances for England suffered from the weight of expectation which heralded his arrival in the national team.

Hick made his debut in 1991 but was dropped after just four Tests and spent much of the next decade in and out of the side, playing his last match against Sri Lanka in Kandy in March 2001.

He finished with 3,383 Test runs - with just six hundreds and 18 half-centuries - at an average of 31.32.

  • Leave your tributes to this sporting legend in our fans forums here.
  • See our Hick special in tomorrow's Worcester News.