Tears were shed at Surrey as Zafar Ansari calls time on his cricket career

Surrey players were left in tears when Zafar Ansari revealed his plans to quit cricket. The 25-year-old all-rounder has retired from the sport with immediate effect and is likely to pursue a career in law.

Ansari played Test cricket for England only five months ago but, after graduating from Cambridge University with a double first in politics, philosophy and sociology, he had always made it clear that cricket was only a part of his life, rather than his sole vocation.

Ansari revealed his decision to Surrey’s management team, comprising director of cricket Alec Stewart, coach Michael Di Venuto and captain Gareth Batty, during the drawn Championship fixture at Warwickshire, which ended on Monday and in which he did not play.

Ansari then addressed the rest of the squad before practice yesterday in the team room at The Kia Oval.

Batty told Standard Sport: “It was an emotional affair when he spoke to the rest of the players. There were certainly a few tears shed by me and a few of the others.

“Zafar has been a huge part of the group and what he is doing is ridiculously brave. He has done it for what I believe are truly the right reasons and I have nothing but admiration for him. He is an honest, straight-up, wonderful guy and he will always be welcome here.

“I spent a lot of time with Zafar talking about cricket on and off the field and I will remember his playing days with great fondness and a huge amount of pride. We were involved in a spin partnership that helped Surrey win a number of games.”

Batty and Ansari were a highly-effective pairing for Surrey throughout the latter’s time with the county, and replacing him will be no easy task.

Scott Borthwick, who bowls leg-spin, was brought from Durham last summer but he is primarily a batsman these days. It is open to debate whether he is good enough to be a permanent second spinner for a county who rely a lot on their slow bowlers, especially at The Oval.

Surrey have Amar Virdi and Freddie van den Bergh, who are both playing in the Second XI, but neither has significant first-team experience and it would be difficult to ask them to step up and perform immediately as Ansari could.

While Ansari was a hugely popular member of the Surrey squad, his interests outside cricket made him look at the sport in a different light from others. The traditional cricket changing room environment may not always have been the most natural place for a character such as this.

Similarly, in a sport that can feature extended periods of inactivity during games, it is natural for certain players to ask themselves certain questions.

Ansari gave an insight into his thinking in a recent interview for the BBC’s ‘Stumped’ programme, made before he announced this decision.

“I do struggle with the sole emphasis on cricket, for sure,” he said. “It is a challenge when you dedicate so much of your time to something.”