Tait abruptly quits cricket for indefinite period

In a surprising revelation, Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait has decided to quit cricket for indefinitely due to physical and emotional exhaustion.

In a statement released by Cricket Australia on Tuesday, “An absence from the game would hopefully give me a clear mind and a chance for my body to rest and recover,” said Tait.

No time frame has been decided on Tait’s return to cricket. He will sit out for Friday night's KFC Twenty20 clash against India in Melbourne and in the upcoming Commonwealth Bank Series. He will also not be representing South Australia in the inter-state matches.

"This is a very difficult situation for me to be in at this time, this is not an overnight decision but something that I've been struggling with for sometime," Tait said.

"A break from professional cricket will hopefully give me a clear mind and a chance for my body to rest and recover," he added.

"My love and enjoyment of the game is struggling due to these issues and if I continue to go on it will be unfair on my team-mates and support staff of both the Australian and South Australian cricket teams - and most importantly my family and close friends," Tait articulated.

Tait had a shoulder surgery after the 2005 Ashes series and also had surgery to sort out his elbow injury last year.

According to South Australian Cricket Association medical officer Terry Farquharson, this must have led Tait to come out with such an astonishing decision. Tait is also suffering from intermittent low back and hamstring injuries.

"The combination of his injury history and the demands of being an elite professional cricketer has affected his physical, and significantly, his emotional well being," Farquharson said.

Cricket Australia's chief medical officer Dr Trefor James feels that a break from all forms of cricket would certainly do a world of good for Tait.

Tait, who bowled with distinction earlier this summer in the Chappell-Hadlee Series against New Zealand, was left out of the XI for the fourth Test in Adelaide after going wicketless in the side's loss to India in Perth.