Kyle McCallan played 226 times for Ireland. Photo, Joe Curtis
Dear Kyle McCallan,
I have publicly thanked and congratulated you on an absolutely magnificent career one without parallel in Irish Cricket and indeed Irish Sport.
Just wondering how is retirement treating you? I'm sure you followed the progress of the team in Sri Lanka and the UAE with as much gusto as the fan base back home. The boys did well, very well considering we were missing Eoin, Regan, Jeremy, Boyd and you from the last qualification process.
I'm sure you witnessed our Rugby team pull off a momentous victory in Twickenham last Saturday week, what pride to see John Hayes eyes well up during Ireland's Call. One hundred caps is a great achievement in International rugby, how fitting that the best player in World Rugby over the last decade will collect his one hundredth cap this week.
Brian O'Driscoll may not react like John Hayes but he will be just as proud and I'm sure plenty of fans will shed a small waterfall out of the pride and pleasure of watching his Ireland career.
For those of us from the Southern part of the country we saw last Tuesday night Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane break Steve Staunton's Irish Cap record in football. 103 caps' each. Great, great achievements but still short of the Pat Jennings 119 caps and world record 6 world cup campaigns. Jennings of course retired from league football and played with the reserves at Spurs to keep himself fit for Northern Ireland's adventure in Mexico 86, eventually retiring at 41.
Still, 226 caps for your country - no one even comes close.
Being based in the USA 'retirement' is another way to say out of contract or not happy with the current deal. Brett Favre has retired and returned more times than Tiger has propositioned a waitress. It's no big deal to reconsider in modern sport.
So having the winter off and looking at the schedule, is it possible, you could at the behest of all Irish Cricket fans and supporters worldwide, reconsider your decision and come out of retirement for one more year and two more World Cups?
With another couple of cracks at England, Ed Joyce's possible return and the emergence of Prince George, the stakes have never been higher, your country needs you now as much as ever. In most cases players' giving back to the game comes by way of coaching in retirement for the few gifted it means extending your career for the good of your country.
To me Kyle you are already in the same sentence with McBride, Gibson, Jennings and Dunlop as the greatest ever from Northern Ireland, but none of these icons could have given more. I know you can.
What would the world have given to have seen the greatest sporting talent to come from this Island, George Best, grace one World Cup?
Oh and if the sentimental approach didn't work and the guilt trip did not work, can we try bribery? Not that you would ever have buy a drink in any Cricket clubhouse in the country but neither will your children or your children's children, especially if we beat the old enemy at a World Cup.
Respectfully,
Rob Quin.
Copyright: Cover Point
