Hong Kong wicket-keeper Chris Carter has announced his retirement from international cricket in order to pursue a career as a pilot.
21-year-old Carter recently played for Hong Kong in the Asia Cup 2018 in the United Arab Emirates, where he scored 5 runs from two outings.
Carter has decided to move to Australia, where he grew up, in order to attend flight school.
“I already put my studies on hold before but I think it’s time to do what I’ve always wanted to do, and that is to become a pilot,” Carter, who was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Perth, told South China Morning Post.
“It is difficult to be a cricketer in Hong Kong given the lack of funding. People within CHK (Cricket Hong Kong) work so hard to try and allow us to play on a full-time basis.
“The likes of Mark Wright and Simon Cook really do their best, but they are not supported well enough by the government or the ICC,” Carter added.
Carter made his debut for Hong Kong in 2015 and played 11 ODIs for the team scoring 114 runs with a highest score of 43. He also featured in 10 T20Is and five first-class matches.
While for now his ambition is to fly commercial airlines for Cathay Pacific, Carter has not ruled out a return to playing cricket for Hong Kong, provided his potential aviation career allows it.
