Whenever someone names Xavier Doherty not many bells will ring in cricket fans’ mind. The former Australian spinner has disappeared from the cricketing horizon after his retirement from cricket in 2017. The left-arm spinner was a regular member of Australia’s white-ball team but his entire career missed a path-breaking opportunity.
Doherty has turned into a carpenter to fulfil his daily needs after quitting the game. He made his first-class debut back in 2001-02 and played cricket for the next 16-17 years. He represented Australia in four Tests, 60 One-Day Internationals and 11 T20Is, where he took 72 wickets combinedly.
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He won the World Cup with Australia in 2015, where he managed to feature in a single game, against Sri Lanka. Eventually, that game turned out to be his last international game as he couldn’t force his way back into the national team.
Recently, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) posted a video where he was seen doing carpentry. He thanked ACA for the helping hand post his retirement.
Watch the video here;
Test bowler turned carpenter 👷🔨
Xavier Doherty took some time to find what was right for him following his retirement from cricket, but he's now building his future with an apprenticeship in carpentry.#NationalCareersWeek pic.twitter.com/iYRq2m39jt
— Australian Cricketers' Association (@ACA_Players) May 18, 2021
“Right now, I am three-quarters of the way through a carpentry apprenticeship. This is my day on building sites and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Just being outdoors working with my hands, learning new things. Something completely different to cricket,” Doherty was quoted as saying in the clip.
“When I finished cricket, I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do. Then I spent the first 12 months once cricket finished doing everything and every opportunity that came my way. I did some landscaping, office work, cricket work and then found myself here,” he stated.
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“The ACA has been unbelievable really. Obviously, it hits you right between the eyes when your cricket days finish and thoughts going through your head of what’s coming next, and money and what’s my life gonna look like?” he added.
The emergence of Adam Zampa forced the national selectors to ignore Doherty, who was until then a regular member in Australia’s white-ball setup.
