The video of former Australia cricket Xavier Doherty is making rounds on the internet with him articulating his life after retirement from all formats of the game.
Doherty, a left-arm orthodox spinner, made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 2010. The Scottsdale-born impressed all with his scintillating bowling performance by grabbing four wickets in his allotted ten overs.
Soon, he also earned a call-up for the Test squad ahead of the-then incumbent specialist spinner Nathan Hauritz against England in the Ashes series 2010/11. There, Doherty picked up the precious wicket of Ian Bell as the latter tried to loft him over the boundary after Shane Watson took a magnificent catch.
The former Tasmania-cricketer was also a part of the 50-over World Cup 2015 winning squad. In the summit clash against New Zealand, Doherty couldn’t do much as he conceded 60 runs in his seven overs and remained wicketless.
The left-armer bid farewell to all forms of cricket in March 2017 after participating in his last Sheffield Season.
Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) recently posted a video on Twitter where the 38-year-old can be seen enjoying his carpentry apprenticeship.
Expounding the same, Doherty stated that he enjoyed working on-field and had a great time learning new things in the training.
“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 enunciated in the clip.
The former Aussie cricketer also revealed that he spent a year after retirement trying his hand at all kinds of vocations but wasn’t satisfied with any of them until discovering the knack for carpentry.
“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 asserted.
Concluding the video, Doherty paid his gratitude to the ACA for supporting him after he hung his boots to build a financially secure future.
“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?” Doherty admitted.
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
Doherty was last seen in action during a game against Sri Legends in Road Safety World Series 2020.
