Retiring Machan thanks PCA for support Matt Machan, the former Sussex and Scotland batsman, has thanked the Professional Cricketers’ Association for the support they have given him following his enforced retirement because of a wrist injury. Machan was highly-regarded by Sussex but his professional career was cut short last week on medical advice at the age of 26 after he succumbed to the wrist injury which had been troubling him since May 2016. With the advice and support of Nick Denning, one of the PCA’s team of six Personal Development and Welfare Managers, Machan had already started planning for life after cricket. He has set up a property business in partnership with his brother, George, in Brighton and is also considering moving into coaching. ” Nick Denning, the Personal Development and Welfare Manager, and everyone at the PCA have been brilliant. The work they do for the players is fantastic and I’ll always be grateful to them. The same goes for the physios and all the staff at Sussex,” Machan said. Although the decision to retire was a difficult one, Machan is looking forward to having some time to himself to plan for the future, starting with a rare summer holiday. ” When I was playing I knew where I would be for the next three to six months and I had no complaints about that,” he said. ” But it’s nice to book a summer holiday for the first time and decide from day to day what I want to do. ” I knew six or seven weeks ago that I would have to retire but for various reasons I couldn’t confirm it until last week. ” It gave me time to process things and I actually feel a sense of relief now that it’s out in the open.” Machan, who ended his career with five first-class and two List A centuries, played for Scotland 39 times in all formats including the 2015 World Cup and last year’s ICC World T20 tournament. ” I don’t think playing in the World Cup, especially the 2015 edition in New Zealand and Australia, would have been topped if I’d played for another ten years,” he said. ” That was a fantastic experience and I have some great memories. ” I prefer to look back and think that I fulfilled a childhood ambition to play for Sussex and I got the chance to play in some cool games for Scotland rather than the fact that I missed out on playing for another eight years or so.” For further information about the PCA Personal Development and Welfare Programme click here.
